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The 'jelly' mystery

Question:What is this strange jelly people are finding on grassland throughout Scotland? A BBC Radio Scotland Out of Doors listener came across some in the Pentlands and his finding has sparked quite a debate, with several people sending in their own photos of similar findings.

Suggestions include that the substance is a type of mould, an animal excretion or even 'star snot' from meteorites.

Update: August 2009. There is new scientific evidence to suggest that this mysterious matter may derive from something other than frogs. But the Out of Doors team still need your help! If you encounter any of the jelly, let them know where you've seen it and when. Email the Out of Doors team.

To try to solve the mystery, Out of Doors has asked some scientists to examine a 'jelly' sample.

Theories so far: Hans Sluiman, an algae expert at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, told Out of Doors listeners he is convinced the gel itself is not a plant or animal.

Dr Andy Taylor studies fungi at the Macaulay Institute in Aberdeen. He says there are fungus filaments in the slime but agrees with Hans that they're growing in the gloop rather than creating it.

DNA tests: Andy's team at the Macaulay Institute ran DNA tests on a sample, but the results were inconclusive - the sample was contaminated.

Historical references: Hans Sluiman's academic colleagues unearthed a 1926 reference in the journal Nature to 'the rot of the stars'. It backs the theory that birds of some species are eating frogs or toads and regurgitating the ovaries, perhaps due to toxins.

Has the mystery been solved? Out of Doors listener Colin Torrance of West Linton, Peeblesshire, wrote on 10 March 2009:

"Cleaning out my pond today, I pulled out a dead frog that has obviously broken open exposing a white "blob", several of your programmes a few months ago were going on about strange "matter" lying about the countryside, here is an actual specimen of the white matter of your discussion."

Euan McIlwraith picked up the sample and took it to the Macaulay Institute for examination. Come back here to find out the results!

Some listeners' comments:

Jean Muir thinks 'It could be some kind of jelly fungus'.

Mike Snook thinks it could be 'a slime mould, a kind of fungus, I have seen several in woods on the base of tree trunks.'

Steve Chambers believes that 'the problem is that there are several jelly-like substances that can be found at different times of year. If a predator eats a female frog or toad that is ready to lay, the jelly which would have formed the outside of the spawn is discarded (does it taste nasty?) as not nutritious. This would certainly explain clear jellies found in March or April. Other people are talking about anal glands and secretions, but the substances I have observed are too large to be produced by a small carnivore.'

Ronnie Leask directed us to a geological magazine which suggested this might be 'Pwdre Ser or Star Jelly', perhaps remnants from a meteorite shower.

Brian Swinbanks says 'I have seen this substance twice on the Isle of Mull, so you can rule out badgers and foxes, we have none. The first sighting was at the Mishnish Lochs - a single lump of very firm jelly about 150cm in diameter and as we live in Tobermory, I was reminded of a jelly fish - at 500ft in the wrong direction for a wind lift. The mass was very clear with a slight purple hue - colour like a block of acrylic - texture like jelly. No cell structure, almost perfect. The second was at Quinish on a shoot in the autumn and more like your photo - two or three lumps. I talked to a local keeper he had seen this once before on the hill. If this comes from an animal - at Quinish it could be sheep, cattle or deer but at the Mishish Lochs only from a sheep or red deer.'

John Lewis from Peterhead has also found the jelly over the past 8 to 10 years, 'usually close to, or around the margins of ponds or other bits of wetlands or just damp areas in fields. I have puzzled over what it could be and have asked many of my fishing and shooting friends and other folk with an interest in the countryside. The most popular theory is that it has something to do with Herons - that would certainly fit in with the locations where I have found it'.

Please note: Correspondence on this subject is now closed.

Page first published on Friday 17th October 2008Page last updated on Tuesday 3rd February 2009

Your Views

suzie wileyWe have found LARGE piles of the jelly outside our front steps---but only there. It started as one small pile and has spread around the steps.

Claire (Rochdale Lancashire)I first saw this substance in lambing season and thought it may be some strange afterbirth, since then i have seen it thoughout the year in areas with no trees in the grass. then in october have seen it in wales on a tree stump making me think it is something that a large bird has regurgitated.

lyn hockhami have just found this jelly type stuff on two pots in the garden. I do have a small water feature so maybe a toad ? Never seen it before in 20 years of living here. I live in cornwall and the weather here has been very wet but not spring like. 9/12/09

Poppy - Isle of WightI foud the jelly on our log trail and also on the geenland.At first i thought it was a gooey toy alien. I picked it up with gloves on and have kept a sample of it. I think it may be a dead frogspawn.We are going to count how many we find.

Imelda Connolly I have found jelly on the path around a lake in my farm.Two dead frogs were in some of the blobs

ANNIE BI found some of this jelly on Dartmoor at the weekend. Today I was in the garden and accidentally split open an emerging puffball, inside was a hard white interior and covering it was clear jelly just like the jelly on the moor. So I think it is some kind of fungus or slime mould.

Lorcan FeelyFound some in my garden today... definitely not plants as it was on a paved area.. strange..

Beaonce, a long time ago, i had this bouncy ball. i always used to bounce it while eating my puddings, and i was really happy, until one day, the ball burst. i was really upset, so i buried it at the end of my garden. A few weeks later, while the painful memory of my ball was still in my mind, i started finding this horrible looking jelly all over my garden, i think its a way of the dead trying to speak to us. peace out

Lairich RigSome have already pointed out that there are several jelly-like natural substances, and it's good to keep that in mind. That said, most of the gallery images here show a substance I've come across several times this year, always where frogs can be found; I took some samples home to examine closely. Based on that, I personally believe that an explanation that has already been offered here several times, about it coming from frogs taken by predators, is the right one. In the freshest specimens of the material, large clusters of black eggs were present, and the jelly itself was milky in appearance, with a definite shape: quite convoluted, almost brain-like (frog oviducts have such convoluted bits at either end; hint: Google for "oviducts and egg mass"). The gel seems to absorb water over time, causing it to swell and become clearer. It tends to end up as several shapeless blobs (just like the main photo on this page); under the microscope, this jelly was non-cellular, and so it's little wonder that DNA tests were inconclusive. In short, this stuff appears to be just the two components of frog-spawn, the eggs and the jelly, before they've been combined; not being frogspawn as such, it isn't only found in the spawning season. The clusters of eggs probably make a tasty snack for some creature, sooner or later, leaving just scattered blobs of jelly. [As an aside: slime moulds in their slimy stage simply don't heap up in this manner.]

LeeAnn November 2009 found in Alexandria, VA USA We are in a heavlier wooded area with many types of wildlife and in the flight path from National Airport.We too found this substance on the wood steps in front of our house first, and now a week later all over our front lawn.If it was from the planes, why would it be just in the lawn and not the wooded chip area? We have not treated our lawn with anything. After reading all this and not google searching these theorys yet, I think it is sometype of mold or fungus for it has been wet lately and we have found other very stange looking fungus before. One that appeared in our backyard that was covered in wood chips for it is so wooded, that looked like a red penis growing out of the ground covered at the base with looked like fresh watery poop... talk about gross!!!! And friend told me it was a fungus that is found in our area. Just a few other facts about this area, we have brought in mulch and chips from the county which has seems to be contaminated with things like ants- termintes so it wouldn't surprise me if some type of fungus, or mold spores with in there too, and grow in the moist weather. OK off to google some of they theories.. I'm just glad I'm not the only one with this stuff

Beat AttitudeAsk Rod Hull.

Mike HeathWe've just come back from the Scottish Highlands and found this stuff about 10 metres away from the Loch we were staying by - there was also some on the top of a gate post. Very strange. No-one seemed to know what it was. The caretaker for the cabin we stayed in thought it might have been regurgitated by a buzzard.

Peter and MelissaWe found some yesterday in the hills near Aberfeldy, Scotland!

karen maybury elmquisti got the name wrong it is called otter jelly and not frog over

Gary HowellsHave seen this stuff a few times on local mountainside( South wales) over the past few years. Found some again today near the Brecon Beacons on a grassy walkway.Far too much to be from a frog. Lots of cows and sheep have been in the area, could this be from them? Maybe cogealed sperm thats remained inside them and just falls out!Yuck.

KevinIs anyone even sure that all these tests are being ran on the same substance, rather than bits of different things that are jelly like in that area. I mean if you test frog excretions to see if it's a fungus and test a fungus to see if its frog excretions then you have a baffling case on your hands if you're assuming they are the same substance when they are not. I mean couldn't this stuff be everywhere because it is actually from several different sources. We're just mistaking several different snot likes substances for one snot like substance. Just an idea. I am curious to see what comes of it though.

Roger AugustI really believe that we can rule out Flora and Fauna as the producers of this Gunk, I live in deepest Kent and have come across some of this in my garden. So the amount and wide distribution of this substance tells me that the above are off the list of suspects.What is interesting is that the arrival of this "jelly" coincided with a meteor shower, so there is food for thought!

Raven from USAI've not seen the gelinous substance as of yet; however, I'm greatly intrigued. I've done some research recently and here's what I think: In genetically modified organisms, they use 'bits' of genetic material from the e.coli bacteria plus 'bits' of other genetic material from different viruses and put them into bionanotech 'whatever it's called' to deliver them into the plants/seeds at the subatomic level. They are doing these things to plants, medicines, cosmetics, etc. The gelinous material reminds me of the sufferers of a mysterious disease called morgellons (www.morgellons-research.org): these 'other-worldly' creatures have a silicone-like substance growing around them. This is no joke and alarms me greatly! Now the US is spraying all of the states with chemicals (chemtrails), which is also real, I've seen these things for myself. They don't dissipate and then a strange ash-like substance rains down on the city, and then I get sick. I wonder if the chemicals they are spraying us with triggers the morgellons and/or causes these gelinatous substances to 'appear' out of nowhere. If I am right, I think that they are grey goo (this is not a joke). Someone should see if they react to normal substances like: urine, hydrogen peroxide, sea salt, sugar, etc., and video tape the reactions for us all to see. I think they are a variety of life mixed up by the world's worst mad scientists!

steven parkIve just come back from the lake district and thought i would look up on google what this stuff is, we seen a 3 clumps of it at various stages of the walk on the way to burn moor tarn and was near sheep droppings

Graham NewtonNot a new phenomenon! Almost certainly a Myxomycete or jelly fungus would be supported by the observation of amoeboid structures see under the microscope (See above). Free living amoeboid organism that then comes together in a jelly like blob and then produces spores as in a fungus for distribution. More seen now due probably more people walking in the country and possibly also cleaner air which has also led to an increase in lichens.

colin wilkesFor the past 2 weeks i have had this material dropped, excreatiated,or whatever in amongst the new Sweet Williams i have been planting ready to flower next summer (2010).I was convinved it is from slugs or snails. Now it could be from frogs as i have frogs round about in both front and rear gardens.As i have neither deer nor badgers i think they can be counted out. i have been told it has something to do with the fact i live near wigan. More crack pots.

Bruce WFound a number of 2 - 3 foot diameter areas of the stuff in Glen Clova/Doll up around Dreish and Mayar August 15th-16th

Want to see some rock snot?Found some of this strange snot near Aberlady on a walk. Some of it was on top of the anti tank blocks!GPS location N 56Â° 01.935 W 002Â° 51.635Cheers Grant Kay

stigfordif its stags semen, I'd love to know how it got on top of my tractor today in East Lothian? It was raining heavily.

Derek MayesI found some on top rails of a very high (like 20 feet)Forestry Commission stalking seat. Suggests to me that a bird (not a stag!) was responsible.When is someone going to look for DNA?

Sarah LongriggI contributed one of the pictures in the photo gallery. I found star jelly again yesterday (22 August 2009), close to a small pool at an altitude of 675m on a hill in Perthshire. About 100m away I found another very small piece which was covering a piece of sheep dung and had a slug almost completely inside it. I could not tell whether the slug had produced or was eating the jelly.

Aaron StoneIts just a jelly! Eat it!

BazfanIts the first wave in a alien invasion.

CliveI can't believe there are so many nutters out there...

VivI see it every winter in SW Scotland on the hills - just occasional lumps of it. Can't remember a year when I didn't see it. It has also been discussed on Radio5 Live Drive & I am still waiting with bated breath for the answer.

ScrugeMaybe its just hair gel?

Kelly I Found some on my strawberry pot, there are no ponds around, so how is it frog ovaries? and I'm pretty sure no stags have been in my garden. I't's probarbly just some sort of fungi.

JoThis happened in Oakland, Oregon and was reported on Unsolved Mysteries. The mysterious substance literally RAINED FROM THE SKIES. Therefore it must obviously be a result from some biological programme. When they examined the substance it was found to contain human white blood cells and make people very ill.By no means is this a natural phenomenom whatsoever, and the Air Force's explanation is absolutely ridiculous. So no, no cover up here.

ChrisIt's chem trails get over it.

JakeI also found this stuff on my back deck in Wisconsin after lots of rain, and I have the small black specks mentioned previously on my upstairs window sills. I have also seen chemtrails out the back window in the sky.

chrisif ya look it up the government call it aerosol sprays in there stuff

TomCHEMTRAILS? INFOWARS.COM

john chicagoCome on, if this was naturally occurring then this wouldn't be such a surprise right now. this would have been happening to people for many years. the fact this just started only leaves one possible explanation. Governments are seeding the skies in the hopes of changing the climate, chem trails are real, Obama and the USA even admit to it now, they just say that their starting to look into these things, but in reality it has been going on for years! turn off the tv. the media is not your friend.

Craig from ScotlandThis is the gel which is used in chem-trailing. Aerosols are exhausted in the atmosphere from passenger jets in order to contaminate animals/plants/vegetables etc with viruses. Google chemtrails.

FUNGUSIts a rare specie of white jelly fungus. It seems unusual because GLOBAL WARMING is causing temporary increased humidity during winter (correspondingly your summers will get more dry). The same stuff is at my place in Australia.

John SmithOh, feeble and frightened minds. Build a little box round your brains and do not depart from thereof! It has become clear that a skeptic has become not someone who cannot find evidence to support a theory, but rather someone who cannot find a feasible explanation for the evidence presented. Is it so difficult to conceive that the most likely explanation may not necessarily be the most feasible. Some of the afore mentioned theories may account for some instances of small amounts of star jelly discovered but given the circumstances in which it has been found and witnessed throughout the ages, coupled with recent NASA footage of giant jellyfish like creatures obviously living in local space and within the stratosphere, it is beyond a doubt that star jelly is the remains of fallen atmospheric biological organic entities. Wake up people! A new era in zoology is arising.Once upon a time, if someone had claimed without irrefutable evidence that bioluminescent unicellular and multicellular organisms existed at 1000 meters below the surface of the ocean and deeper, that person would have been ridiculed and despised by every facet of the scientific community. The same is happening now to theorists on the right track concerning atmospheric lifeforms which have only evaded our attention due to our arrogant ignorance. Scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation have discovered 3 new types of bacteria which they collected from the stratosphere earlier this year (2009). This is the beginning of what is going to be the most profound discovery in the history of biology! Life is abundant and comes in shapes, sizes and forms both conceivable and inconceivable. Just because we cannot see it does not mean it is not there and absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. The world is ROUND you square heads!

MeiI found this jelly-like substance on my balcony (3rd floor) in Sydney recently. It rains a lot recently. I have 8 pots in my balcony. 4 of these pots have a plate each underneath to retain water, the other 4 without. 4 with plates underneath has 0-1 jelly. the other 4 without a plate have jelly all over it. I believe this is some secretion produced by slugs in rainny season. it is hard for slugs to pass through ring of water in the plate. hence, the pot with plates full of water has none to few jelly.

tsThey are the oviducts of frogs, left behind by an animal (usually a buzzard) feeding on the frog because they are inedible. Source: 'Animal Tracks and Signs' by Bang and Dahlstrom.

AndyMaybe it's the souls of politicians?

L MowbrayI too found some of this jellyfish type substance on my lawn this morning and up until my husband recently putting down some top soil and peat, I did not have this problem. I to am baffled as to what it is and as I have young children I am concerned as to whether it is dangerous or not.

AndrewIt looks just like the stuff in my garden...I threw some swell gel crystals down in the summer (to hold water), and after heavy rain it sort of erupts.

ConnieI found the same jelly substance outside in the grass after several days of rain- it is clear and has no smell. . .There is a large blob of it. Texas

Andrea M.The globs of jelly look similar to these colonies of cyanobacteria called briazomes (not sure if this is the correct spelling) that my college biology class found growing on plants at the edge of a freshwater lake. I wonder if it's some form of briazome?

julianIfound some of the jelly today, and as this is frog spawn season, assumed that it was related.The blob that I came accross at the margins of a small loch did have some bloody remains attatched. Herons were active in the area,therefore I am firmly of the opinion that these are the regurgitated reminants of Heron breakfast.

ClaireIt is what is causing Morgellons Disease all over the world. The chemtrail posts above are correct.

PBSaw this weird stuff actually falling as a shower in the garden last spring.I was curious and started searching on the net.Seems like it happened in a small town in Oregon and people were ill after it and some pets died.They demanded answers and were told it was prob jellyfish.The nearest sea being 50 miles away.The shower lasted for 3 weeks.Some 'explanation'!!Iread more and could well believe they are doing something with chemtrails,given that this country was systematically sprayed with various pathogens from 1942-1979 to see what effects it had on the population(Porton Down would not deny this when asked if it was still ongoing.)Also here in Yorkshire there is a strange aggressive fungus taking over gardens killing trees and plants and also invading houses.The Fungal Research Council denied any knowledge of it,yet it covers the whole area and many have noticed small black specks appearing on windowsills inside houses.To say nothing of everything being toxic green outside.Would be interested if anyone has noticed this in other parts of UK.I would say to people don't handle this stuffafter the ill effects suffered by people in the US after touching it.Anyone who hasn't heard of chemtrails-google it,even more so after this week being reported that the US is planning to divert the sunrays away from earth.If they can do that dropping this stuff in the name of experimentation would be a cake walk.Scary times and given what has been dished out to us from the govt i for one would believe them capable of anything.

C Rushton It is the result of the Chemtrailing going on .Look up

stuff the jellywhy don't you investigate chemtrails?

Sally WinterbournI live in Cornwall on Carn Brea near Redruth. I noticed the jelly in my garden during the brief time of snow that we had here. I thought it was ice at first. When I saw the article in The Source I couldn't believe it. The strange thing about it is that we usually have lots of frogs in our pond. This year we only had a few toads. I havfe seen no frogs and there is no frog spawn.

Katie BreenI found this in a wood in Cornwall last year. I walk this wood on a twice daily basis pretty much every day of the year (yes I have dogs to exercise!). It appeared one morning on the moss covered side of a tree stump, clear sky overhead with nearest trees a foot or so away, on a slope: It started as large white maggot type forms, scattered over the side of the tree stump. The dogs were first attracted to it and there was a faint 'rotten' smell which led me initially to think there was a dead animal and that these were maggots - but they didn't move and obviously weren't 'alive' in that way. They stayed in this maggot type form for a few days with no discernable difference in form. The faint smell disappeared (and no dead animal to be found). The dogs lost interest but I checked out the 'maggots' each day. They changed into the jelly format now being discussed when it rained - they swelled up with the water: didn't reach full sixe for a couple of days, then just stayed in that form for a while before becoming very slimy and simpply being washed away. I'm sorry this isn't a very scientific report but at the time I presumed altho' this was new to me, it wasn't unusual per se. There are frogs and toads in the valley but not in the woodland. I have seen a heron in the valley but rarely. The wood is on the side of a valley leading out of a town and is surrounded by a mixture of fields and housing estates. I think the main thing I can add to this discussion is that it doesn't actually start out as jelly but instead has this maggot like initial form.

Mrs morris and PoppyWe have been testing some of this jelly, found at a nature reserve in Llandinam. We tested it in our school lab and found that it contains some protein, but no starch. We looked under the microscope too and found some moving single cells, maybe amoeba.

james bi came across this jelly 2 days ago whilst holidaying in lochgoilhead it was at the base of a tree on moist ground in the woods it had dark frogspawn like bits inside it andi thought it was very strange so stuck some in a jar and took it home to observe( is that just what they wanted me to do? )

John McCauslandI too was taken aback by the presence of these 'blobs' on my local golf course. They seemed to appear over the course of a few weeks from September to October of last year. The course is located at the head of the Campsie Hills in Lennoxown and thus tends to be quite damp due to the run-off from the range of hills. However I was surprised to return to the course this month to find it quite dry, but still home to the things - although they still seem to concentrate in the lower lying damp areas.Reading other reports of the substance seemed to point towards a recurring locality of sheep... Until I saw that patios and plant pots in London were involved. I find it hard to believe that a multicellular organism such as sheep, herons or frogs are involved. And even more incredible that it could be of extra-terrestrial origin. Surely the more down to earth (and less fantasical) explaination would point towards a slime mould or even a symbiotic system including mobile fungal spores and bacteria.I'm going to ask my friends at the New Scientist. It's a sure-fire way to get the best minds in the world to mill over it. I'll get back to you all with the response, altough it may take some weeks.

Peggy MacEachern, IslayThis is the first time I have seen a picture of the slime and realise that we had a lot of this in our garden and surrounding areas in Islay in the autumn of 2007. We were really puzzled about it but did nothing about it and it went away so we then forgot it.

DanielDo a another DNA test to find out about it

peter bayleyI remember finding this stuff years ago when out walking the dog near fishers pond It looked like agar jelly that was used in labs for growing plants I remember thinking.Now I have found it again can anybody tell me what it is rather than speculating

Karina HWell. I just found some on my balcony in Sydney Australia and I live three stories up! My jelly is a little more translucent however. Aliens! Well no. But strange indeed.

COIf you think about all of us have seen this jelly in totally different places but surely there must be somithing the same in each of your storys.

JDI found s small pile of this clear jelly like substance on the concrete of my outdoor area in my backyard a few weeks ago.. I just assumed that it must've been a chewed up jelly fish dropped by a pelican or some other bird, I live in NSW, Australia... Its fun to think that it may have been from space

brenda hazeli live in leominster herefordshire and ive seen the gloop as described;not ice or silican.ive walked a particular stream 4 years and this gloop i noticed as i had never seen it before this winter.as spring has come on there is less.my walks pass flood land and streams and a river but this stuff is v localised on the one stream.i have been v delighted with the program and info.since then i go with the heron or otter vomit theory as i have been lucky enough to see both on the stream.this sort of issue and info is ideal for people to share info nationwide as it would take decades for big bro to pay attention.is rock snot realy real. sad footnote. our local 10 acres of frog ponds,they have planing permis to fil em in and put caravans for incoming workers there.by by newts and swans and yes this is the same place the otters is.computer virgin excuse me.

Claire cookeI can tell you what it is, and how to make your own. Buy a disposable nappy. Fill with water til it can take no more. Split it open.Tonnes of 'star snot' or whatever you call it ; ) Maybe animals came across a dirty nappy and carried it off, along the way it split and the absorbant jelly spilt out.

Maisie MacGillivrayWe've had two lots of it on our front steps - and we're in Derbyshire, not Scotland. They need to check out other specimens, not just in one area.

Ian WilsonChemtrails... let's cut through all the disinformation people and realize that we have been sprayed over and over again by Government.Welcome to the New World Order.

Tom BrownHello. Heard your programme 7.45 Sun. on Radio 4...very interesting.I often find frog spawn 'jelly' around our 'frog bog' and pond duringthe winter, early spring time. Sometimes, but not often, it is alongwith some froggy remains. On occasion close examination reveals a littleknot of tiny black egg cells. These I presume become individuallyenveloped in the 'jelly' during the progress of the frog spawn'smovement towards maturity. The demise of the frogs is as a result ofpredation by herons, otters and probably,but unconfirmed,foxes, badgersand possibly mink. It seems to me that the reason the Jelly is not eatenby the predator is that they are aware that when in contact withwater,as in the predator's stomach, the 'jelly' will swell to severaltimes its 'inside the frog' volume and thus cause them some discomfort.Having on one occasion found the jelly atop a gate post I suspect it issometimes eaten by herons and later regurgitated?I did some years ago find a slime mould in our damp riverside meadow. Ifirst observed it in its agglomerated state of about a tennis ball size,which is how it stayed for a couple of days or so, before dispersingback into its invisible unicellular state amongst the detritus beneaththe grasses. It would be very interesting to hear more about thesefascinating organisms.....cue for another programme maybe, utilising allthat information you have gleaned from your 'mystery jelly'contributors.Kind regards.Tom.

Mike ReeI walk a lot but saw this only once - close to 'High Cup Nick' on the pennines. The quantity would have at least filled a wheel-barrow as if tipped in a pile. It was clear but slightly milky jelly about the size of small hen's eggs on damp eroded peat at the side of the path and there was an additional smaller pile about 50 metres further on. It was October, the moor was covered in cloud and drizzle and felt pretty surreal. I have travelled plenty over the years but never seen anything like it before or since. It is like frogspawn without the embryo but the frog would have to be the size of a horse to produce it! The sheer quantity is the point.Good Luck to those who may solve the mystery.

PaulI've found some of this stuff in three out of seven flower pots on my balcony in central London? Weird, it just appeared and seems to be getting bigger?Remember that movie, The Thing??????

Colin AkinesI have seen this stuff under a tree in my local park, Weelsby Woods in Grimsby. If it is deer sperm they must be good climbers because it is also on a branch of the tree a good 30 ft. above which would seem to eliminate ground dwelling species

Andrew BarkerHas this 'mystery' been solved yet. We have found some 'jelly' in our woods and would like to know what it is.

Kerem and HulyaMy girlfriend called me out to the garden today to show me this stuff she found in a flower pot of our peppers. It looked like jelly to me and I laughed and just said throw it in the bin..but then she found this site and nowwe are intrigued aswell as to what this stuff is.The larghe bit that got thrown away could not be found again, but theres some small amounts left in the pot. It looks like gelatine and is kind of see through.There is no pond in our garden and no access for foxes with quite high walls, we live in the city and although there are foxes about, they cannot enter our garden.

B N HarleySpotted some in the alps a couple of years back in cold snowy July around 2200m. It was weird but I hoped it was just some leached jellies. I like the thought of it being fairy-based but hope they don't really have the flu.

Callie ThomasCrumbs, where have I been all my life? Am I the only person out there who`s never seen it? I feel so left out...time I got out more!

carlto be honest i dont know what it is, but it's probably just some sort of fungus or feciees

Emily RayALIENS

Lauren, Jen and RachaelPersonally we think its ICE!! In case you havent noiticed its been snowing. When snow starts to melt it forms a slush which is exactly what this is!!!

DanWe found loads on Rannoch Moor next to Loch Laidon near Ranncoh station in September 08. Strange stuff.

Mandy AmsonI remember seeing this stuff as a child 27 years ago in Hampshire, its was on a grass verge and tarmac on a semi rural residential road, I have never been able to find out what it was but it freaked me and my dog out at the time and I would love to know what it is (at the time I thought it was an alien substance - I think I'd not long seen the Body Snatchers film though!).

Josefin KarlssonWhat's the big mystery? Jelly like substances are created in so many ways in nature; bacteria, fungi, semen etc. You can find it in your kitchen or bathroom if you stay off the cleaning for a while, in your eyes in the morning, in your nose during the winter, on rocks along streams and wetlands, around tree roots,...the examples are endless. The DNA tests were inconclusive because they were contaminated, but how many different samples did they really test?

john castleAbout 1954 I was an fourteen year old boy scout and we were camping at Nettlebed near Henley On Thames. One day I discovered,near the base of a tree in the rough pasture field a 'glob' of jelly-like substance having a spread of about nine inches. It's a long time ago now so I cannot be too sure of what I saw, but basically it looked like frog spawn and had a fresh glossy appearance not unlike a stranded jellyfish on a beach. I was faintly disgusted, especially as it appeared to contain blood in the centre. At the time I thought vaguely that it might have been an aborted fetus or afterbirth. The memory has remained with me all these years as a minor mystery and I still retain an image of it in my mind. Could it have been the 'star jelly'?

Joe Loughlinthis sort of jelly apeared under my trampoline a while ago.. its gone now couldnt work out what it was, it was in the south west of england btw

JennIt could be a substance from silicone.seeing as the earth was largely formed with it.

johnIt is simply a by product of slugs

Noah GayneThis stuff is particularly common in France and is looked on as a delicacy. Known as 'le blamange naturale' it is boiled and combined with fried chillies and Ardennes truffles to form a dipping sauce for frogs legs provencal.

O.T.They are the remains of dead snowman.......sadly!

Max FoshI found it in my back garden..very spooky

PeteIt looks like the water retention compound, as used in commercial grow bags.

rjonYour all mad people talking about mysterious snot. In my own opinion however, I believe the substance is coconut jelly!!!

JamieIt looks like ice to me!

MalHave seen this 4-5 times over the past 5 years when out walking in the Berwyns in North Wales. Tends to be in and around very boggy ground, though where recent rainfall has led to streamlets running everywhere.A walking companion of mine put it down to 'some chemical muck or sheepdip residues'.Dunno really, but certainly not a rarity in my experience.

Paul LambertWe see loads of it on the Lancashire-Penine moors. No trees near by just a stream. Our 2 Labradors don't eat it which is a surprise cos they'll usually have a go at owt. So probably is nasty tasting... Could it be from Sheep??? Glad we're not the only ones the aliens are visiting :/

Martin WilsonI photographed very similar material in a wood near Launceston on Saturday January 30th 2009. I anyone is interested in seeing the pictures......

Michael ClarkeStag semen? If I catch any stags leaving their semen behing my wheelie bin then I will chase them off with a big stick. Yes, I found a pile of this stuff behind my wheelie bin about 2 months ago. Didn't like the look of it, so prodded it with a stick, as you do, then pushed it off onto the nearby soil with the intention of burying it. Never got round to it and having just looked, it is still there. If you want some you only have to ask. Due to location definatly not stags, very very unlikely birds, possibiility of foxes, cats or badgers. Just like frog spawn without the black bits. No sign of any bits of vomited frog. I have a theory. It is damp round there and a few weeks before it appeared there was a big toad underneath when I took it out for emptying(no, I didn't squash it). Theory F:-Just like the plants and bees etc. the global warming and warm weather are playing havoc with mrs toads systems, so she thinks it is spring and loads up with eggs then when she realises its winter she cant hold onto the eggs and drops them, hence no black dots. Then it swells with water. Reading all the other posts has given me quite a laugh, more real humour amongst 'the people' than on telly. Anways, more importanly, don't forget, God loves you...

Adrian Waller5 or 6 years ago I was visiting a widlife garden in Cumbria, near the village of Witherslack, owned by an elderly gentleman called Mr Watson. I also saw this jelly like substance on a rock at the end of the garden, when I enquired as to it's origin he said this was the rock where a local Buzzard who was fond of frogs ate his catch, he'd watched it frequently, but it always left the jelly - imature unfertilised spawn (his garden had a huge pond "alive" with frogs so he had plenty of chances to watch this occur)

Sylvia EvansI have found this jelly on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. I have been walking this area every day for the past 25 years - only in the last eighteen months has this jelly appeared. I have puzzled over it for sometime and do have pictures. The last collection, about seven large blobs of it has been there for six to eight weeks. It survives everything - frost, gales, torrential rain, snow and even my labrador dog who would normally gulp down everything revolting. I do have pictures of this latest lot and without a doubt one piece did have signs of blood in it. I know this area of the moors very well - it is grazed by cattle, sheep and ponies and there is the occasional sighting of deer. Rabbits and foxes are also numerous on the moors and plenty of buzzards but all of these have always been here so why so recent. Even the "Beast" has been there for decades!!! Definitely no herons - they prefer the well stocked garden ponds. I would say that in general I would expect to find the jelly in roughly the same area on the lower, clearer ground and within several hundred yards of a small watering hole which in the summer often dries up. Nevertheless the jelly appears in all seasons and I have found it on higher ground and in other areas of the moor. I would love to know what it is, I find it fascinating. I shall continue to read all accounts on your web site and hope DNA testing can solve the mystery.

helen robertsMy husand and I found a large globs of this jelly last October/November. It was on open grass in a field next to our house in East Surrey. We have neither deer nor sheep in the field. The only creatures that are seen there are rabbits, grass snakes, foxes, toads and our two cats (and lots of birds but we have only seen one heron in 8 years). Last year there were remarkably few toads about - if it was anything to do with them I think the jelly would have been present in previous years.

Frank BojdaHi in my time in the field watching everthing I have seen this jelly deposited.What by?well not by one creature but a number.I have actualy watched wild cats,foxes, buzzards, herons,ferrets/polcats and goosanders reguritate this slime.Having kept hawks I know they regurge pellets of things they cannot digest,eg bone and hair.Considering that some of these masses have fur or bone I would presume this is past by hawks.It does stand to reason that the slime is an unwanted part of the animals meal, and that considering its looks it is something to do with frogs,or quite possibly toads.I trust you will get to the bottom of this with dna, but I will not be suprised by your findings.Regards Frank.

Martin IzzardA few years ago, we three Scientists ( Martin Izzard IJC & RDB) observed this phenomena on Moffat Golf Course in an area which was always high in moisture/relative humidity. It looks to us like a possible microbiological exudate from a specie relatively unknown till recent high Aw/ high moisture times as the planet has changed.We should carry out a moisture content analysis and also identify which sugars/amino acids/uronic acids are presentin this beautiful and uncommonpiece of nature. I will now look for my photographs and look forwrd to a scientific analysis of the beautiful natural phenomena.

Jim AI get rather irritated by the slightly condescending attitude of some of the posts here dismissing one or another theory in favour of the one they prefer, most commonly that of the regurgitated Frog/Toad Ovaries/Spawn. Have you people not considered that perhaps there are several different phenomena being reported here due to similarities in appearance? While I think we can probably say that many instances of "jelly" are without doubt caused by Birds regurgitating frogspawn, that does not mean that other instances of "jelly" aren't coming from other sources.Slime mold can't be dismissed entirely, as while it most commonly appears couloured and often opaque, it can also be colourless and at least semi-translucent. I'm not convinced by about "Rocksnot" as it is found in stream and river beds, not in fields miles from a river. I'm also dubious about it being silica as even when fully saturated, it tends not to have quite such a smooth texture. Stag Semen is a viable explanation for some of this, but certainly not for all the reported instances.If people recognise the fact that these are not all the same phenomena, and start trying to identify which incedences are related to which pehenomena, we might actually get somewhere.

Belinda WainI live in North Wales and, for a few years now, on my walks over the upland grass & moorlands of Rhosgadfan (near Caernarfon, North Wales), have been seeing the same strange looking substance. The places I've noticed it happen to be in sheep country, about 1000ft up, quite close (anything up to a mile) to areas where I had also noticed frogs annually leave their spawn.

AlexI saw this stuff in midlothian (maybe the Pentlands)back in Autumn, i thought it was ice off a planes wing on routes overhead at first but then found it to be Jelly.Thought it to be a mould of some sort.The buzzard theory may be a good one as they have been in ascendance over the last ten years and they will eat almost anything including earthworms and they have probably been eating and regurgitataing fairies too. :-)

Tim ReadI've seen this in Snowdonia, Wales. Always presumed it was some kind of excretion from an insect or mammel to protect eggs. I'd be very interested to know the truth!

RichardI,ve seen this stuff on my golf course for years, always wondered what it is. Location is SW Pennines, have seen Deer on course, definatley no sheep, see Herons regularly.

tamhave seen this jelly type substance on local walks west scotland usually near marshland or generally wet ground there are buzzards and herons in the area as for stags there are no red deer in the area only roe,surely the tests above would show if it were stag semen ,personally always thought it was some sort of farming by product

Alexander Bryant-EvansThis truly is a curious thing. I personally believe that the substance is a microbial culture. I would like to insist on the Gram Staining Technique to be carried out onto a sample. This test will tell us if there are bacteria present and what type of bacteria they are. Failing a conclusive answer from this test, I would insist on a sample of the goo to under go tests in a mass spectrometer. The results from this particular tests will tell us the exact chemical constituency of the goo.

JemmaI think it is frog/toad spawn from a heron because there is a lot in newport pagnell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AdamI was told that it was the result of slugs freezing and expanding/exploding.

Nick SmithThis is a highly likely weather phenomenon derived from a different kind of coalescence that normally takes place during metrological processes. The jelly is formed when neither snow, hail or rain is in it's absolute form and simply drops out of the cloud unable to go through the normal metamorphosis of precipitation.

TammyMy father has a garden pond a nd field pond. 2 weeks ago he got approximately 25 dead frogs/toads out of the garden pond which had been trapped between the ice.In the field pond, there was only the jelly. Which appeared to have intestines in it.Suggest it could be Herons regurgitating the frogs.

kit boydI've seen this twice in the middle of a lane near where I live in Powys. I've also seen frogs squashed by cars on the same lane so it seems likely there is a link. The texture of the jelly seemed different to frogspawn however - much firmer.

Chris LedgerMessage from Hackney again - Having written my last note a few moments ago, I've just seen the report from the guy who found the gel after his dog ripped apart a nappy. It's prompted me to remember that at the same time I found the jelly in my Hackney garden recently, I also found a nappy on the grass which an animal had clearly brought into the garden - so yes, the nappy theory looks the likely answer to me...

Alexander Bryant-EvansHmm this truly is curious. Personally I think it is a microbial culture, possibly bacteria or fungi. To determine this may I recommend that the Gram Staining Technique be carried out on a sample. Failing that, someone should insist upon a mass spectrometry test of the substance. The first test will tell us if its bacteria or not. The second test will tell us exactly what this jelly is made of.

El Dave =]I think it looks like slug eggs, but if there are no signs of life in this weird, 'jelly' then I would probably suspect that it has got something to do with the regurgitation (did I spell that right?) of some sort of predator.It could be some sort of unidentified fungus, because different kinds of species of plants, animals, etc are being found on a regular basis. But then again, you could let your mind run away with you and you could think of all sorts of possibilities, no one will ever know.I live in Saddleworth and I haven't seen any of this jelly stuff so I don't really know what to suspect, but I haven't heard of anything as weird as this!

Richard MossFound this gloop a week ago, whilst on Dartmoor. I would like to think it wasn't Stags semen as i di poke my finger in it as part of our ultra scientific investigation. I am delighted to see this article as we had no idea what it was!I like the Heron idea myself as we found it quite close to a watercourse.

Chris LedgerUnlike almost everyone else reporting having seen the jelly, I live in central London, in the very urban, densely populated borough of Hackney. A month or so ago I had to clear a large amount of this mysterious jelly from the grass in my small back garden - from the photos shown it was clearly the same stuff that others have seen. Having lived in the same house for over 20 years, I've never seen anything like it before, but what I do know is that the only animals that I've ever seen in my garden are cats and birds. Foxes are often to be seen in my street, but my garden has high fences, and I've never seen a fox in it.

LouiseI don't know what it is but it can also be found on Baildon Moor in West Yorkshire

ShanbecI think it could be a new jellyfish but its a jellyground instead, or it could be somthing for Primevel or Doctor Who!

Phoebe BruceAs I am into things of space like conventions, I believe that this is somthing very unusual and as aliens are real (to me)I think this is an alien substance of just plain fungi. Anything can happen so it could just be fungi or as Steve Chambers said it could just be the female toad/frogs spawn substance. On the DNA test as nothing was found it could be alien or a type of species we have not yet found out...Could it be...

derek farmanIt clearly isn't frog spawn . I can't wait for it's DNA to be analysed . Wonderful to have such a mystery . Very exciting if it has no earthly connection . There has been an increase in UFO sightings ! Don't scoff . Look at the MOD website on this subject

Alice O'TooleI think it could be some sort of fungi from a plant because my mate had some around his pond the other day

James WilmotI have seen similar twice previously-1. In urban gardens with cat repellant granules scattered. The granules appear to vanish over time but reappear as huge jelly like clumps in cold wet weather. They then just seem to vanish again over time.2. Eels produce a heck of a lot of jelly when threatended...really thick stuff. As they are often known to travel distances over land through wet grass etc, this could explain some but not all.This don't explain all sightings through, so I will keep an open mind.

Beth RopeWe've had this stuff on the grass in our back garden in South East London, I was very puzzled at first but then assumed it was a type of fungus. We do get a few frogs from nearby garden ponds, the only other wildlife round here being foxes and roaming cats(!). We live in a built-up area but our garden is damp, quite shady, mainly grass with trees and shrubs round the edge.

Stuart MorrisI have had this in a field close to a pond I own in Monmouthshire for most of this winter. We have no deer or black cats here, although I do get heron on the pond - it's too early for frog spawn. It looks like some kind of fungus, we keep horses in the field and it has been a wet year.

Steve, BristolI found some of this weird Jelly on our front garden wall a month back, after a big hail storm. I live in the middle of central Bristol... how could this be stag semen? More likely to be the frog spawn idea round here but i doubt it. Wish I had taken a sample now.

Bill BakerThe jelly is "Anal Jelly" left by an Otter!I own a Fishery and see this all the time around the lakes!

Bec & Rich BerryWe saw this jelly like substance half way up a mountain in Ullwater - lake district. It was grassey, damp, rocky terrain no trees in sight. We thought is was ice as there was snow near by and went to pick it up and was very surprised to find it was slimey!

Chris ChappellI found this substance several times as a child (40-45 years ago), in Sussex, near Crawley. It appeared on an area of undisturbed marshy ground. I never worked out what it could be. It was quite like frog spawn without the eggs. There were Roe deer in the area.

Mark SutcliffeThis isn't just an early spring phenomenon - - or indeed a Scottish one. My father and I found same in the hills around the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire last November.

DarrellI found some green jelly under the snow in my garden last night. It's not from the dogs and appears to be in lumps in just one spot. All I can think of is that it is under a tree where leaves have fallen and the cold snow has reacted with them.

Derek TweedieReading all the comments it looks like its regurgitated frog spawn, from frog eating birds (herons etc). I'll go with that explanation as so many people have come to the same conclusion.

Nick Dixon After last years snowfall we had approx a cubic yard of the stuff strewn across the grass verge and we live in suburbia with no herons or any such wildlife.It took about a week to disappear .

Sharron MiddletonCould it be fall out from the ozone? It all gathers together and then falls down in blobs of gel. That's where it's all going!

Dave GoldsmithWe have had a similaar substance on our golf club at Pormore in North Devon. I believe it was early January and we thought frog spawn but only because of the texture.

Sharon EdwardsWe found some of this at the end of January in a fairly boggy wooded aread near Caerphilly. We didn't let the kids touch it - though they wanted to play with the 'Gruffalo Snot'.

Red Kurt.i doubt its some sort of amphibian spawn. although all sightings appear to be in damp areas, amphibians spawn in ponds, not on land. i dont think its any kind of algae or fungi. my first thought upon seeing it was that its the discarded urine waste from aircraft toilets. they add chemicals to solidify the liquid, but its usually blue i think.

Rebecca AshworthWhatever it is it is not to get excited or worried about there will be a reasonable explanation you just have to find it!!

RedwoodI've seen this before - and asked some experts - who then called some weird people to come and take it away. they were covered in white clothes and gas masks for some reason. i took a photo and sent it to wikipedia to analize and they said the had never seen anything like it?!?!

Kyle GambleWell i suppose that if scientists arn't going to try and do much reaserch into it, we all must experiment for ourselves. Someone earlier in the post mentioned that it was "petrol like" try setting it on fire and see what happens? but i think one think is for sure... it couldn't possibly be frog spawn as some people have reported it behing 20cm high with a radius of 120cm, and unless the frog/toad spawned there every time (which is not very likely) then this couldn't be their spawn. So experiment and have fun?

Andy BI too came across a sample of this jelly - this time on Grinton Moor in the North Yorkshire dales during October 08.There were about six globules on a moist moss and heather bank.The moor has very few if any foxes but does have buzzards, hawks, owls and herons in the facinity.Haven't a clue what it is and mildy reassured that nobody else seems to either!

QuintinIt is a natural form of "biological control" often called Phlebiopsis gigantea. The fungus Heterobasidion annosum can secrete into felled trees and kill adjacent trees. What this slime stuff does is redirect the Heterobasidion annosum away from the tree. In this way, trees and plants are not diseaed by fungi.

Chris LawI have noticed this jelly on a stone wall surrounding my garden in Cornwall, almost like a globular trail about 15-20cm long. I have no idea what it is or where it came from. We have a pond habited by frogs so the regurgitation theory could hold dome weight. This seems more plausable than the Stag Semen theory given the location of where I found the jelly.....unless stags are known to become amorous with traditional dry stone walls.

Ian ConwayMy theory, which is mine, and is my theory, is that this gel, is probably a bi-product of tampering with the weather, we all know it goes on ("Good day sunshine")for good or for bad, govenments then have to blame climate change or global warming, just so the crazy fun they have can be blamed on Joe public. If it's snot then bird flu will probably be how the government call it. That one died Swan found in a pile of hankies, what an epidemic that was, not quite the fear factor Blair and Bush were hoping for with that one, but it acted as cover for them in some way, so what the hell.Another theory I have is to do with Frogs, if it can rain frogs that means that some how frogs get up there, if they are up there from a young age, then frogspawn, so all that gel/snot stuff could be, yes, the stuff without the tadpoles or even frogspawn without the tad, maybe infertile frogs, serves them right for cloud busting.Well you started it!Well you started it.

J CThis is a modified form of God's Mannah (Exodus 12:19-20). Lord looked down on Britannia and found that its people are not having jobs, moody and depressed (than they are normally). Lord saw that the futile attempts of the Government to reduce the problems of the people. He decided, its time to intervene directly. He knew the normal mannah won't be good in this modern age, he sent a jelly mannah. But alas, the people of Britannia, of little faith, wants to just analyse it. Well, you thought, God wouldn't guess your suspicion - that's why he sent something which is not edible this time, may be next time, he may sent the real stuff. Come on, take it easy folks!!

Paul TylerWe are walkers of most UK National Parks and have found it on both Exmoor and Dartmoor in the South West of England.

Sir RogerThis stuff looks like Silica Gel. It is used in hanging baskets to retain moisture. The Gel adsorbs large amounts of water and sells up. It the slowly releases the moisture back into the hanging basket to stop it drying out.

kenneth clarki seem to remember something like this apeared in our village (leadhills) it turnd out to be frog spawn without the egg inside , maybe its that...

LeightonI found a large amount of this "jelly" when I went walking up Twmbarlum mountain in Wales.

Neil BygraveOver the last 10 years I have found this at the Quantocks in Somerset and regularly on Dartmoor in Devon notably near Grimspound and Miners Path. It seems to occur during the colder, wetter periods in October to March and almost exclusively on open moorland areas. When in abundance it can be found in many patches (at least half a dozen) as per the image and occurring over quite a wide area (say at least two football pitches). I have only ever seen it alongside paths or open patches near paths. However, I have not conducted a 'formal' study of the surrounding area to see if it occurs amongst vegetation. I was intrigued to hear about this, it’s always been something I meant to Google when I got home but never got round to it. I assumed it must be some sort of algae/mould/fungus, but then why on colder days? Surely the cold would not make ideal growing conditions. Because it always seemed to me to be along/near paths where horses and sheep had been I thought it may simply be their snot/mucus discharge, but then decided that may not be possible due to the quantities that were sometimes found. Perhaps deer could be responsible but the places that spring to mind where I have frequently seen it are not adjacent to wooded areas but could conceivably be routes between wooded areas.

Zaphod BeeblebroxThe secret is out. It is a nutrient jelly containing eggs for the next generation of earth invaders. It is dropped by alien spacecraft, the jelly acts as a shock absorber, the eggs disappear into the ground and will hatch out in 2012 to take over the earth. I hope they make a better job than the human race.

JOhnseen some of this in Leigh, no water near by, on the side of the street that gets light, and never seen this stuff ever until recently, totally baffling

Sheffield unknownI think just leave it to experts; pharmaceuticals and foresics to do tests and clinical trials and the answer will come out eventually for everyone to know this mystery. Theres no point of guessing, thinking or believing. Please carry on if you still are sure of what this is.

Steve SorrellIt looks like the substance you get to absorb urine in chemical toilets. Coming from aeroplanes?

Matthew"I found this to but in Britan in the Heatherlands of Sherewood forest about 2 weeks ago.

rootooLooks like the remnants of an aviation toilet dump. Quite common nowadays.

Laura RossI have something very similar in my garden! You can buy crystals (that smell of lemon) onto the garden to deter cats. When it rains they swell into what looks like snot! It looks the same.

Lewis McKieOn 7 December 1974, at Loch Ness, I encountered aliens with the 'star jelly' on their torso and legs. IT'S FROM ALIENS!!! People don't believe me. They think I'm a nutjob. But please, anyone out there, believe me!

Jay MurphyMy cousin and I were walking around Llyn Brenig reservoir in North Wales last month and seen exactly the same jelly in two separate locations, both within metres of the reservoir its self.

Gareth SchweitzerCharles Fort details this and other substances in his "Book of the Damned"- a treatise on the phenomena science can't categorise. He finds references going back centuries, which are often linked to fireballs! Fort however would have us believe that this matter (and other stuff that falls from the sky) comes from an aerial ocean called the Super Sargasso Sea. Make of it what you will!

David MannersI have found this substance on Exmoor about 12 years ago. Enquiries resulted in being told that it could be regurgitated frogspawn - the season was correct. However, with the area being a favourite haunt of red deer, I wonder if the comment above from Andy Malcolm confirms that it is indeed stag semen.

CathyIt looks like snow from that picture.:)Cathy-aged 12

paul inceThis is a slime mould.

OwenI swear we saw this stuff sat on a wall in Charlton SE London last week. I thought it was ice, stuck my finger in it and fairly disgusted to see it wobble. We debated what it could be for 5 mins and gave up not having a clue.

Ka LeeI think this a fugus - what the Chinese call 'wood ears'and use for food. When they first come out, they are black (also a white version) and cruchy (yum yum!) but after a while, they breakdown, discolour and absorb a huge amount of water to turn into what you look like blobs of jelly.

Paul GrahamAstounded to learn that the jelly like substance found last year in the lettuce pots in my back yard in Rossendale is Stag Semen! They must be awfully well trained to be able to open the gate!

Catherine dCould it be dropped from airplanes as part of their toilet drops? Maybe they put silica gel in to keep the water from sloshing or something, or maybe its silica gel powder that dropped near ponds and has swelled up into gel. You get those packets of the stuff with everything you buy these days. I cant see herons chucking it up as frogspawn as surely that stuff if soft and nutritious. this is my speculation based on my thinkings, not facts.... ive just seen the deer sperm thing. If this is true, why is it a new thing to everyone?

Diddy DavyIs it batter?

Chris GloverI've been finding a similar / same substance in my garden for quite a few months. I had thought it was something you put in flower pots to keep the compost moist and has been emptied into the garden by previous owners. This is now swelling and taking up the water due to the wetter weather

Phil ClaytonI see this stuff (or something like it) every day at work. Its the jelly that forms when water-swellable powder becomes wet. The same stuff is found inside nappies and other medical pads. But finding this out in the fields suggests it's probably frog spawn.

paraniodconspiratorit is one of two thingsAliens but our atmosphere is unsuitable for them and turns them into jelly.Or a government secret plasma weapon that disintegrates people and all that remains is this jelly like ectoplasm.

Andrew EatonAs an analytical chemist. an obvious thought occurs: rather than guessing, how about applying some science and analysing it. I'm sure that the guys at Macaulay didn't just jump in and start DNA testing until they had established whether it was organic or inorganic (derived from life or from other chemistries e.g. rocks. That would eliminate half of the possibilities either way. It's not definitive but what happens if you put some in a flameproof vessel and heat it on a cooker ring. I'd be curious to know what happens once the (presumed) water boils aweay and it starts to get to the temperatures where organic compounds break down. If you get a black residue, it's probably organic. If white, it's unlikely to be and is some mineral derived substance

Jacqui LloydI think it's wonderful that, in 2009, there's still something around that baffles science. Everyone should believe what they want. I love the countryside - let's keep the romance alive.

NickWe've seen a lot of this in our paddocks, (near Bridgend South Wales) since the autumn. It seems to 'appear' rather than 'grow'!. Horses and sheep don't seem to touch it or be bothered by it, but I've no idea where its come from. The fields are SSSI so maybe we should get them to investigate!

James RodI live in London and have found this Jelly in my garden. I thought it was dog sick but could never work out what he may have eaten to cause it. After reading this I am now not so sure it is the dog, we do have a Heron that sits on the tree in our garden.

Jeff CriddleWe often get this in our garden in Cornwall, particularly after windy conditions - is this due to freak conditions similar to those that bring dust from the Saraha?

Simon And MandyWe think its wallpaper paste! Looks gross thought. We lookforward to the real answer....

Mark DellerIt's a bit early for 1st April!

neili have got some in my hedge not got a clue what it is.

Warren SmartI can remember seeing this jelly type stuff in a field in Kent back in the 70's near where i lived as a child. It was in a rough uncut part of the field which itself was in a large open space in the middle of our village. Never seen any since.

KimMy husband and I found a large mass of this on Exmoor last year. I took photos of it and it looked like it had been dropped to place rather than grown hence I did not think it is fungus. We found that it was far too large for frog spawn and definately not toad spawn. Could be some other amphibian of a foreign nature in some areas but the place we found it was on an old trackway heavy with grass and moist in areas. We are both a rural and country couple who have been around all sorts of animals. The stuff we found was ovoid in shape not round. After research we believe this find is Stag Semen as there were several stags in the area. I can only suggest that if anyone has samples of this stuff get to a university lab for testing and get it under a microscope. At least that way everyone who finds it will all have some idea what it is and how it got there. There are other sources of jelly like substances but this stuff belongs to the Deer family. This explains why it is found in such a wide range of areas. It is also possible to find it on gate posts and bounderies due to ejaculatory ranges, especially spring, late summer and early autumn. It's not alien or from outta space.

Colin McLeodAll those who suggest it's frog spawn left by foxes are correct. However, rather than it being removed by the fox before eating, it's more likely that the fox swallows the frog whole, and then vomits the jelly after it swells up inside its stomach. The same happens if a dog eats a frog - usually the experience will put it off in future, but hungry foxes can't afford to be so fussy!

k maguireWell I was a child on a farm in the seventies in Ireland, nowhere near the coast, so that rules out coastal birds and jelly fish. But I remeber seeing this stuff all the time, only when the ground was really wet. I am actually very surprised that people are talking about it like it's some mystery. There was loads of the stuff on our land but I cant remember if it was a specific time of year or all year round. Incidently, the only animals on our land were cattle and of course wild animals like rabbits, foxes etc, so that rules out stags and sheep. I remember asking dad what it was. Now he grew up in the thirties and forties and it was always there as far as he was concerned. However, he didnt actually know what it was so he would tell us not to touch it in case it was poisoness. So we used to poke it with a stick. Its too tick to use as wallpaper paste by the way. It does actually dry up and disappear. Never seen it in our meadow land, only on the wet boggy part of the land, that is on brown peaty soil and on decaying tree trunks and branches. Now peaty soil is decaying forests from hundreds of thousands of years ago. I think there is way too much of it to come from a frog as suggested in other theories, even if it does expand after leaving the frog. Personally I think it has something to do with peaty soil where when such land gets wet, the rainwater on the bogey land is always a dark brown colour. Rainwater lieing on other types of soil doesnt mix with the soil to such an extent as it does on peaty land. But the old people used to say it was left there by the little people (the leprauchauns) for us too slip and fall and stay away from them.Well thats one way of getting rid of unwanted guests.

RinconSaw loads of, whatever it is on Dartmoor in October 08.

Jeffrey BrooksSeveral large blobs of this material were lying close together on the "rough" to the left of the 7th. fairway at Newport Golf Club, Newport,Gwent a couple of weeks ago. I thought it a rather strange material, but did nothing about it. I'll certainly collect it and pass it on to the scientifically literate if I see it again.

Richard PharoWow, i never knew such stuff could cause this contoversy and such a lot of speculation!I first came across this stuff about 10 years ago. I find it on a fairly regular basis on the mors in Devon and Cornwall. Sometimes it contains black dots, sometimes not.For those who think it's frogspawn - yeah, right, in January! And it this were the case, the frogs would have to be the size of squirrels and there would have to be hundreds of herons (oe whatever) eating them all over the place. Utter rubbish!It is a mould. It comses from the gorund and then grows over the ground-hugging vegetation, making it seem like it comes from above. That some 'scientists' on this fourm are displaying as much ignorance as the supposedly untutored rest of us is ridiculous!

AlexIt is clear that this is not something naturally found on Earth. It must have come from outer space; perhaps these are the first conclusive signs of extra-terrestrial life...

brian joe from manchesterI think it is a big worldwide hoax.Some clever organisation is dropping this stuff around hills and fields to freak us all out!

Tom AshtonI once found a frog which had burst open and large mass of jelly like this was attached to its inside. I thought at the time that it was un-formed spawn which had swollen when the frog was pecked by a bird, and it had absorbed water. This looks the same and could be the result of birds attacking frogs as they look for a spawning site. Thats my guess!

Wayne HannibalI've seen it in San Francisco in a gutter, no way is it from an animal. Story was in the Chronicle one day, no reference to it again, story is not in archives...hmm.

LoraMy friend Tesni and I found some on a cliff on the North Wales coast. It seemed to have caviare / roe type substance alongside it. We assumed it was flying fish eggs from a big wave but after reading this article I'm going back to find some and keep it in a jam jar just in case its valuable or I can sell it ar star jelly!!

Seb Wright (Fisherman)This slime is found on many fish I have caught ,it forms a protective layer around the fish to protect it's scales. This could explain why this slime is found near ponds??

emilysurly if it has been regurgetated it would have a scent or other remains mixed in it? it may sound far out but my first thought was a undiscoverd amphibian's eggs

Wraypa1What this really needs is some chemical analysis. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy would be ideal methods for probing this kind of material.

Anya KuliszewskiWe found several deposits of this "jelly" in November,near Haweswater (the one near Leighton Moss)on the Lancs/Cumbria border. Plenty of frogs, herons etc. in this location.

Graeme ScottI came across this on Saturday 31 January on the Kyles of Bute Golf Course at Kaimes. THe course is near the sea and there are some wetland in areas around the course so could be the frog spawn theory. The course ground conditions were also very wet at the time.

PatrickI would like to know what the DNA sample was supposedly contaminated with to make the tests so inconclusive. Was it some sort of DNA that was a surprise and shouldn't really have been there?.........why not just publish the test results and let us know what they found?

Mat TurnerThe one thing that you will not find near this puss is animal life. That's because they still have their "sixth sense" and know that it is indeed - alien excretion - quite possibly of the "invasion of the body snatchers" variety but more likely to be of the genus "blob". For all those that have scooped up the blob in a dog poo bag, you MUST not touch it. I have read that some intrepid folk on this forum have witnessed the blob doubling in size when added to water - this is due to it digesting the microscopic organisms in the water. You MUST take these samples to your local council or MP at once - they know what to do with them!!!

Anya KuliszewskiWe found several deposits of this "jelly" in November,near Haweswater (the one near Leighton Moss)on the Lancs/Cumbria border. Plenty of frogs, herons etc. in this location.

Dr.I.R.MSuggest larval form of crop circles. Seriously though 1) consider there is more than one possible answer depending on location, time of year, size of deposit etc. etc. 2) do some science - take samples, do lab. tests, observe in-stu formation of the material etc.

Ian HigginsonMy 9 year old son found several large blobs of the jelly last month on a heath in Sherwood Forest. I'll admit I was stumped but he was fascinated.

josie lovridgeMy son and I found some while out walking with our dog in North Devon. At first I thought it was some sort of frog or toad spawn, but on closer inspection it was just a jelly like substance, like the stuff in the picture.

Joe BlowerI have found some of this substance in my back garden around the pond. I think it may be predators regurgitating frog spawn as suggested above. This would be logical as I have seen a heron doing this before at my local bird park.

MGI found something exactly like this 'growing' under a newly laid turf last summer. I though it was maybe to do with ants which we have a lot of in the garden. I live in London. The turfed area was once a large pond

Les of FoelI have seen several samples of a similar material here in Mid Wales. I discussed this with a full time naturalist here in Montgomery who claimed that is is Otter jelly - an anal secretion used for marking the boundaries of its territory. So my vote goes with Laura Taylor ( letter 10 above ) But I really WANT to believe the wonderful array of tales from the imaginations of the other contributors !

peter brockettalso seen in woodland end of january 2009 in east lincolnshire

baklook at the picture... its simply melting ice. who needs pHd's in algae to work out that the "jelly" is simply melting ice, which was caused by heavy snow during monday and tuesday.

Steve BucklandOverwintering female frogs taken by a predator such as otter or mink, and the jelly from the spawn discarded. You might also see the black eggs as a pile next to the jelly, if they have not yet migrated into the jelly.

Charlie lawsa friend of mine found such a substance and ate it for a joke. this was found in Higham Ferrers, England

Ian McCullochI do not claim to be an expert on this, but I have worked as a Water Bailiff on the River Wye catchment in mid Wales for nearly twenty years. I have frequently seen this jelatinous substance at this time of year, always in pristine areas of the upper catchment where mosses and rushes are abundant.A couple of years ago I found some at this time of year with what appeared to be dark grey eggs in one clump of it. I did some research into this and formed the opinion that this was caused by the breeding of a bryozoan life form. It is definitely not that unusual and certainly not "meteorite jelly"

Expat in FranceA friend and I witnessed strange fast moving green lights in the skies above Brittany some years ago, later the same evening we saw a patches of a green jelly like substance glowing brightly on the ground. Strange but true!

Dermot ByrneOne morning after a particularily bad thunderstorm, I found a lot of jelly in the backyard. The mystery was solved when I discovered a hanging basket had been struck by lightening. There was compost all over the place but no sign of the original water retention crystals in the bottom.

Francesim in Birmingham and recently found a some large piles of this jelly in plant pots in my garden, i have to say i thought it was frogspawn that hadnt been fertilised. Space snot? well who knows lol

Don PiccinnoIts the bodysnatchers! Watch out for giant pea pods.

Don BlandfordLooks to me like the gel the water companies give out to gardners to save on water...surprised nobody else has suggested this?

David BakerCame across this on top of a large boulder, in winter, Glen Coe, just below the snow line. Blobs seemed much too large to be from a single frog, also why on top of difficult to climb rock. No open water nearby, though you do get frogs on open hillsides, but not in freezing weather, I think!

Chris Peake - cardiffWe also spotted some of this "Jelly Like" substance on Traeth Moor, just North-West of the Brecon Mountain visitor centre on Sunday 25/01/2009. It looked like very large frog spawn, with out the black dots in it.

oliviaLast week I pulled a dead frog from my pond. It was a female frog and she had split open revealing this jelly (unfertilised spawn) so the heron and other birds of prey theory is entirely plausible.

Peter JackmondDear Sirs, Madams or Aliens,It is my comprehension at this present time, with regard to this amusement upon our planet, that this presumably obscure substance may, in fact, have a substantial similarity to ectoplasm, that is to say, the plasma of ects. This substance can be considered to be not dissimilar to the milk of pigs. When this milk is commercially sold as PILK, it is absolutely harmless; however, in this present economic climate, it may be vicious due to the lack of pasteurisation in certain dubious countries of origin, such as Romania. This leads me to conclude that Shepherd's Bush Health and Safety Regulations should be stringently followed at all times, whithersoever this substance may be.P. JackmondDirectorLightning Decision Matches.

Phil BowersI watched "invasion of the body snatchers" last night, and this stuff looks strangely familar

JohnI've heard a report of a very similar substance being found before. It was positively identified as the 'unripe' spawn of frogs and toads that have been eaten by a predator that has discarded the unpalatble jelly. Polecats, mink and otters will all do this. Given the location this seems most likely. Having said that some jelly fungus can look very similar!

John EvansI have seen this jelly on numerous occassionsover a period of years the latest being a few weeks ago it is a secretion made by toads or frogs, it always appears at this time of year.

Adam KnightI've had exactly the same thing in my garden in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. I just assumed it was some kind of frog spawn gone wrong!

bearded bobWhat is all the fuss about? We have seen this most winters since we were old enough to see things. It does not appear in the dry, warm months because it quickly dries out and is not visible. It is jelly fungus. It does not come from aliens or mammals, it is not threatening. It has always been. Is it not amazing that there are always people who crave exitement to the extent that they be;ieve Elvis still shops in Tesco and Hitler lives in Ecuador and the Loch Ness monster exists. Jelly fungus, no worries.

I KnowSaw it last week on an area of parkland in Herefordshire about 300 metres from a lake. Picked around in it with my biro. Thought it was too much to be frog spawn. Definatly wasn't a fungus. Found a further 2 piles with in 100 metres of the first. When i picked around in it, it seemed to unravel into a gelitinous transparent string. Then I saw some tiny black things that must've been eggs. I kept looking and found what look to be the inards of a creature. The inards looked like.... what a snail looks like if you catch it with a powerful strimmer, the bits that stick to the visor. Decided it's probabally some sort of amphibian spawn probabally spewed up by one of the many herons that spend must of their day stalking the long grass near the lake. In 2007 we had 10's if not 100's of thousands of toads collect in our cattle grid. Rescued them in buckets and moved them all on to safe places. Built some ramps so they could escape. The toads were no more than 2cm long and the cattle grid was an inch deep , more in places. The grass around was covered.... Two years on...Bigger toads, lots of them.. In my opinion the herons are probably gorging themseves and spewing up. Oh and it doesn't smell i picked it up and sniffed it using my pen. my work collegue reminded me not to put the pen in my mouth after. 10 mins later i'd forgotten. didn't taste of anything!Don't think we need to worry about alians or meteors or even slime moulds with this one

Peg Gerber, Mapleton, OregonOurs seems to be completely clear, not rounded but exactly resembling ice cubes, but the consistency of jello and seems to melt like jello too. Not under trees, and evenly distributed all over the yard, front and back. We have very few animals due to our dog and the neighbor's cat -- I'm certain it's not stag's semen. Have photos, also samples in the fridge and freezer. It's about 40 degrees F and misting slightly here. We're completely puzzled.

Chris BissonHello, has anyone done much research since the last post. I work at the Eden Project down here in Cornwall, and we have the same slime popping up! We have no deer populations in the project, so that rules out stag semen. We have analysed the goo and found fungal mycellium, but again agree with RBGE in the fact that the fungi only grows in the gloop not creates it. It is icy cold to touch, and smells fishy, which could be linked to the amine content. Has anyone done any biochemistry stuff on it? I do like the bird vomit theories!

Dijust been out in the garden in rural hertfordshire (24/01/09)and have a good couple of handfuls of what looks a bit like frog spawn in a flowerpot. The pot is under an arbour where birds, particularly magpies and woodies perch. The squeezing of female frogs sounds good. Should I put it in my neighbours pond?

Barry EvansAnd the answer is ....... herons regurgitating frog/toadspawn after it swells inside them after eating the whole thing

nusimalooI find this in small quantities in my garden in Cumbernauld usually around old logs...

Iain GibsonI love some of the fascinating theories. Sorry to be boring, but as a lifelong naturalist I'm very familiar with this substance. Those who suggest it arises from frogs are correct. It is spawn jelly from a female frog which in autumn does not have visible eggs. Predators open the frog and discard the jelly before devouring the animal. Apart from herons, buzzards and owls are also known to do this, which is why the jelly is often found at the base of a tree or fence post.

Phil As stated in my post earlier, we have it on the pennine moors,saddleworth etc. We have no stags or otters etc. I have not seen a heron up here either. There are no frogs or toads around. Foxes,stoats and a few hares are about the only thing up here. Its either from the sky or some sort of algae. If it has speckles in it and is near a pond i would guess its frogspawn! The stuff up here is perfectly clear. Lets work together and dismiss heron vomit,stagg semen etc etc.

SueI live in the State of Washington and was just out doing some yard work and there was this stuff like the pictures, 2 large size blobs of it, but it was carmel in color. I immediately googled what is this gelatinouse like substance in my yard and came across this site. So.. it's January 7, 2009, it's been snowing/raining and cold. We get raccoons here, but I have no clue as to what this stuff is. It's pretty weird.

Morag and Dave RussellSeen several areas of this substance near our home near Forfar. Some of it in water and some bits are lying on the moor or track. Some bits have been there for a month and look unchanged but our most recent sighting today was of the jelly with what appears to be frog spawn and bone/flesh through it. I have taken photos and it would be possible to get a sample for analysis. Think the substance is connected with the ingestion of frogs/toads by birds, we have good numbers of buzzards, herons and tawny owls around here.

Rowan GuthrieFound lots of this jelly (Christmas Eve 08) on the Carrick Hills (near the Snipe Bog and Brown Carrick near Dunure is South Ayrshire. Some was scattered around on the very wet path and some even on top of a fence. Perplexed by this and had a look on line. Surprised to find this article. Could it by any chance be related to agricultural/chemical pollution for example? Look forward to the results of further analysis.

Ethel JamesWe have rather a lot of this sustance in our small front garden in Gateshead. It is near the house and in a shaded damp area.

Ken ParnhamI said that I had only seen the jelly in the Spring (Feb-Mar) up on Hill of Alyth.Guess what - it's back. There was nothing last week - the pond and stream were both frozen solid.A bit of a thaw over the weekend...I went up yesterday (Tues 16th Dec)and bingo! Not only a good scattering around the pond but also isolated'splashes' on paths and several other locations. I was also surprised tosee some 'jelly' caught on a Rabbit fence below a fence post andscattered on the ground immediately below the post (in open country).No sign of Herons, Buzzards, but plenty of Rabbits.Needless to say I didn't have my camera with me, only the dog. So Icollected a sample in an unused poo-bag! At home I placed the sample ina glass dish, placed about a third of it in another dish and added somewater and left it overnight. The third absorbed the water and doubledin size, matching the original in bulk but becoming slightly clearer.All the deposits I saw up the hill looked exactly the same as in mySpring2007 photos - cloudy white blobs. There was no evidence of parts of acreature, skin etc except in one clump.I returned to the hill today (Wed 17th Dec) with camera and poly bags.Still jelly in evidence, but the clump by the post was diminishing -photographed but not as impressive as yesterday.This time a Heron took off from the pond. Although not seen today,Buzzards are a common sight because of all the Rabbits, which mightexplain the jelly by the post - grasping a frog in a talon on top of apost might explain how the jelly can catch on the fence by the post.I've included a photo of the one jelly clump that contained somestructure.Is this the oviduct of a frog, perhaps?I am guessing that the frogs are hibernating in the mud at the bottom ofthe pond and are safe when the pond is frozen, but vulnerable when theicy covering thaws.Nick Donnelly's explanation sounds very plausible - the jelly when firstdeposited would be in small clumps which with time/dew/rain etc absorbwater and grow in size. Whatever is creating the lumps of jelly wouldthus be dealing with much smaller volumes. This would also suggest thatthe largest lumps are the oldest.More food for thought.I have some samples (untouched) sealed in poly bags if you areinterested.

Laura TaylorYou are all MAD! We've been investigating this for years in the North West Highlands and we keep finding it at different times of the year. My explanation is that otters are eating some kind of fish and the oil in it is undigestible so they regurgitate it. It is definately not disposible nappies or Alien poo, good luck!

Vicky ShermanI keep horses and have just moved them into a new part of one of my larger fields. Then what do i fond but this jelly!!! Im not to sure what to do with it or if its dangerouse to my horses. Im on Dartmoor in Devon and this fields center is quite boggy but ive found this up top where its bone dry. Theres also a kind of caviar fish egg substance with it. It could be stag semen yes as ive always lived on a farm and have had a lot to do with deer for years. BUT saying that this looks a bit different to the stag semen i have seen before. I know this as we have kept a herd of deer in the past and mated them and this is not what ive found in thier field.

ToniThere's lots of it round our pond near Muir of Ord right now 21 Dec - herons have been seen here over the last few weeks.

Tim LesterBy the way, i live just outside Dumfries and have found this stuff for years in the field near the house.

Tim LesterCould it be Silica,a well common element, that could possibly drift down from meteorites in a dry form and absorb water when on the ground.It does look like Silicon sealant after all!

Scott BlackI have been listning and enjoying your on going reports of the so called star jelly, something I fist noticed on my local golf course a couple of months ago, where it created quite a bit of interest. I have not come accross it again in the last month until out walking today 20.12.08, only a few hours after listning to your programme this morning where the thought was it was probibly frogspawn stored in the females oviducts for release in the spring after hibernation. Armed with this information I decidede to examine it closer,my thinking if a frog had been predated and the spawn left aside as it was possibly unpleasent to taste there surely would be some other small shred of evidence of a kill. On closer examination there were 5 small round balls of what looked like eggs, best described as like a small blackberry or a small blob of caviar liying amongst the jelly. More intrestingly when poking around the glug I found two small pieces of pink tissue around 10mm by 5mm, which looked to me as if it may be some sort of animal tissue. Originally I was sure it was some type of fungus and dicounted the amphibian spawn theory as I new spawn was not produced to around February but after listning this morning and finding that today I would be swayed to the spawn theory.

John and Sonia bidwellHi, We are totally amazed by the e-mails you have had as a result of our first report of jelly. It was NOT A HOAX! and after our own research I, Sonia, (matrimonial disagrrement here!) still think it's a slime fungus. We are rather sad that our names as the instigators of all this have disappeared from your site!. We might be famous one day ! Happy Christmas and New Year to all.May your fields and woods be full of interesting strange things.Sonia and John Bidwellin a remote spot of Sutherland

MarianneI live in australia and I have also found this jelly like substance in my garden on a couple of occasions, both times there was only one "blob" about the size of a golf ball. Weird.

Ronan McKeownHi I live in County Sligo in west of Ireland and this substance is in several areas on our golf course and has been for years,new pieces appear almost everyday, I cannot believe nobody knows what it is

Silence Dogoodit appears similar to some petrol based substance. it also seems to be found near bodies of water or in cool places where water condenses. it could be an indicator of a petrol rich area, and the resident moisture is carrying a small amount of it to the surface. if it appears in the same locations more than once, that would solve this one. has anyone tried to light it on fire?

Phil PageWe have also found it on Dartmoor growing on grass and on granite boulders...........

Duncan MuirI too have seen this in a remote part of Oxfordshire, I had assumed it was a side effect of climate change, or an unusual animal secretion from a mutated animal (I live near a power station, and there are a lot of overhead power lines). I feel much better now I know it's just Herons

sherlock holmesit is alien droppings that becomes frogs that produce more droppings after being eaten by birds.then the droppings themselves excrete algea that attract lightning.

bahe mitchellaccording to "zetatalk" this goo is simply---petrochemcial derivitatives from the "tail" of a celestial body that is passing between the sun and our earth--it is referred to as "planet X"

Edgar BlazierIn 1957-58 whilst mapping on Schiehallion during late summer I noticed the same phenomenon especially in the worn muddy area around boulders. For this reason I associated it with sheep. It looked exactly as jelly 'mystery' photo. I invited to write a piece that was published in the Nature column of the Dundee Courier. No scientific explanation was forthcoming at that time. It is now 50 years later. I'd be very interested to hear of the authoritive explanation.

Anita NagyFound this in a thriving vegetable garden in sleepy rural Oxfordshire. She likes herons too.

Rishi RamlaganSome kinda alien stuff i guess...lol...who knows. But seriously I hope an explanation is found. This has me very curious

David TullochI live in a densely populated area of Swindon in Wiltshire and have found this goo on my front lawn in July. We cleared it up only for it to reappear the next day in roughly the same place - there is a lake about a quarter of a mile away and have in the past seen badgers, foxes, squirrels, toads, jackdaws and loads of snails within the area but have never seen cattle, sheep or stags. I assume that herons do frequent the lake but we have never seen any. So any ideas why it is this far south and in July?

Mike VaughnIf anyone can collect a relatively uncontaminated sample (from inside the gel) and can store it in a small sterile (or at least clean) container then it should be pretty simple to determine if it is organic (alive) and what the species / genus is. Look up the (molecular) biology department at a local university (Dundee is very good for this) and contact some people there explaining what you have and that you are not a nutter. Ask if they will run a 18S / 16S ribosomal DNA-based PCR identification on the sample. When I worked in a uni lab, it only cost about £20 to do this and many researchers will have the 'primers' already in-house. Be nice about it and point to the news sites as universities love to be covered in the press and a couple of column inches about solving this puzzle is worth something to them and is also the kind of thing likely to be covered in in New Scientist. It may even get published and you will get mentioned in the paper!

MaxEels, lots of them, overland migration they leave trails of slime which covers them. Ever hear the expresstion slippery as an eel? Its the slime organs.

Deborah AndersonNo idea what it is but ound it about two weeks ago in the fields behind my house in County Antrim. There have been no farm animals in the fields for months and only ever cattle. There are no rivers or streams nearby either.There were several pools of it in the three fields I was walking in at the time

Lucy HansonI have been finding this jelly-like substance for a few years. I live in an urban town just north of Glasgow and I first noticed the strange substance when I was walking to work. The jelly was on the road just beside the verges, underneath the blossom trees and I assumed, after seeing it every few hundred yards, that it was some kind of sap coming out of the trees.

ClemI saw a seagull puke up a jellyfish before it died that looked alot like that.

Mike Vaughn"quantum+I use to have Top Secret clearance with USAF. Ask NASA about this jelly and "dead satellites" that fall from space. They'll probably deny any knowledge of it's existance."Sorry Q; Top Secret isn't a clearance classification for personnel in the USAF.

max dohleOvary's from frogs. The froghunting birds cannot digest it and spit it out.

DaveAIs it so difficult to get a chemical test on this stuff? My first thought was that it's pollution fallout of some sort.

Francis TruthHow has a Organism, Fungus, Mould, Living natural phenomina started showing up around the world recently in such large quantities, but never been observed, classified or named before?Answer= Because it is new, not natural and unknown. Think and research.

TysonI live in Cottage Grove Oregon, and I have a great big clump of it surrounding the base of a plum tree in my yard(Dec 6th, 08'), it is mostly clear and has no odor. It doesn't look like a place that a heron could have thrown up unless they wrapped their neck around the trunk.

Dr. RichardsIt is reidue left from Government aerial chem-trail spraying operations. Converted commercial air liners are stripped out and re-furbished with aerial chemical spraying equipment. You can spot the difference as these are not normal contrails, but rather are sprayed in grin-patterns often by two planes flying in tandem. Instead of dissapating the chemical trails persist and spread out to form milky clouds obscuring the sky. This is currently occuring all around the world, and why the worlds Governments are doing this at this time we can only guess..

Dr FealgoodSUTTON PARK, BIRMINGHAM, WEST MIDLANDS. I have found 3 separate lots of this jelly in Sutton Park near La Reserve lake. It does look like starting to melt snow, simlar to that of the last remains off a snowman when the rest of the snow has long gone. To the touch (although not recomended) it is like jelly. I have seen it within bushes and in the open. My personal assumptions are that this is animal vomit.

TONY BURNSWhile working for the Forestry Commission in Wales over forty years ago, I came upon some clear jelly on a foot path. It hadn't been there the day before. I asked an old forestry worker if he knew what it was. He gave me a look that workers reserve for bosses who are as thick as two planks and said "It's where the lightning has struck". I knew that we'd had no lightning but the statement was made with such utter conviction that it would have been rude to argue otherwise. Instead, I sent a sample of the jelly to the Forestry Commission's research institute. Back came the reply that it was a blue green algae which appeared to suddenly go into reproduction mode. If humans reproduced at the same rate, there would be a pile of bodies higher than Mount Everest overnight. Please don't tell me I'm wrong as I've trotted this out as confidently as did Black Ned all those years ago.

Anna M.Nano Technological Bio-Silicone Artificial IntelligencePossibility of it being wired to transmit a pulls (frequency, vibration...) therefore making it "functional" into a bio-chemical motor. Ahahah

Bonnie Martin"quantum+I use to have Top Secret clearance with USAF. Ask NASA about this jelly and "dead satellites" that fall from space. They'll probably deny any knowledge of it's existance."Interesting

Max DohleTo my surprise I found this article. I saw this kind of jelly in the dunes of Holland too. I was wandering what is was.

JoshI have seen it for the past few weeks in a park/woodland in *southern england*

areteHello,We live in Oregon (USA). Twice in the last four years we have found the same substance on our land. We have been unable to find anyone who considers this anything other than an 'anomaly'. Guess we ought to have contacted you!!!

carlmakes me wonder about those 'rods' that guy captured on video. they are supposedly gossamer like. maybe this is what they turn into when they die

Phil SykesI used to see this stuff 10 years ago whilst on exercise with the army around Ullapool. It was everywhere and reminded me of jellyfish.

Heather MarkhamThe jelly looks exactly like saturated silica gel beads. Could it be that some birds are eating used nappies. The silica part of the nappy is going through the birds digestive system and is being excreted along with other matter. Some of the photos look that way. Silica gel beads are also used to mix in with soil to hold moisture. It really does look to me as if birds are gaining access to this stuff.

Phil I live on the pennine moors overlooking manchester. This stuff is in a couple of places on the moor. I was wondering what it was and where it had come from. Even the scientists are puzzled.They only know it is 99% water.

Nick DonnellyI too have found this in Scotland, and after a bit of research found a plausable explanation - Female frogs lay frogspawn which contains this jelly material, it is stored in their bodies in a reduced form that expands when in waiter. The birds that feed on these frogs have learned to squeeze the concentrated jelly out of the frogs before they eat them, otherwise it would expand in their stomachs - this explains why the jelly is often found near water.

ChailreThis is not only found in Scotland, I was on a Duke of Edinburgh training exercise and we saw it all over the place, this was in Dartmoor we asked our Biology teacher and took a sample to him, but he had no idea what it was. people should look in other places that just Scotland. It was always in wet locations and not always in the most populated areas, some places people had not walked for a long time because of the flooding and overgrown bushes.

Fergus KiddThis stuff isn't just in Scotland, I've seen it all over Dartmoor too when on an expedition there. Had no idea what it was, but it was in weird places like walkways rather than in the middle of nowhere.

Jacob DyerA bit of an icky suggestion, but it looks to me like something an animal with some illness would regurgitate (something it's not supposed to when not ill, such as stomach lining or something). Any new foodstuffs that wouldn't agree with native species, new species that wouldn't agree with native foodstuffs, or maybe a virus/bacterial infection?

BirdmantheferretWhile reading through a mountaineers blog/ photo's there was a pic' of "the jelly" and he proscribed it as an otters spraint, not so sure myself but could be worth while looking into, maybe more of a possibility as otter vomit, only a suggestion.

old bobLooks like a slug that has been exposed to salt.

Liz MI've seen this several times in the remoter parts of Dartmoor this (2008) autumn and early winter and have wondered what it is.

MartinaI've seen lots of it at the side of a forrestry path on the Black Isel (on the way down to Eathy) and it was accompanied by bits of toad or frog (not sure wich). About 20-25 snotty slime & amphibian "piles" along a 1 km path. The path goes down to the sea - the "stuff" was lying under very dense spruce cover. I have photos

Adam CoplandI have been involved as a patient with movement disorders. The "Snot" is like a substance made up of single-cell amoeba-like organisms, as described above by Helen Taylor, Mary Clarkson and Trish MacDonnell, which exists in and feeds on leaf mould and other rotting wood or celullose forms. When the food runs out, they gather together as the slimey mass we see and roll off to new pastures. I know of this as it is/was being investigated for experiments in Movement Disorders as a stabler reactor to stimulii where the muscle in humans have too many cross factors to be 100per cent reliable for some tests where some of these tests, as we have seen, can result in detremental side effects in humans. That's how I know about it. Single celled 'amoebae' on the move en mass.

Malcolm ThomsonFound some near the summit of Scaraben, Caithness on 15 November 2008.

Sue JonesMy daughter and I found some of the mystery jelly on Saturday at the side of a pond near to Drymen. Mixed in with three of the 7 or so blobs were caviar like patches(maybe a desert spoon size). In one we could see that a couple of the black eggs were surrounded in the jelly, just like frog or toad spawn. One of the other people to have seen these the day before said that there was a pile of guts by the side of it so the Heron theory seems quite plausible.

Soozie THas anyone ever heard of aerogel, could it maybe be that? We find the jelly in the fields around Innellan. It does have a bit of a fishy smell to it. Its a mystery.

Paul SouthwellI came across some of this jelly whist walking in the Black Mountains in Wales on 8th November. We were waking on a grass ridge about 20feet above a fast flowing stream. The specimen we saw was about twice the size of the sample in the picture and had a wall paper paste appearance. I was with my brother who is a Botanist and he had never seen anything like it and assumed it as being some sort of alagae but was only a guess.

GordonWe're very familiar (at our rural, S/SW-facing home some 750 feet up, near Strathaven - last year was a bumper season) with this "stuff" - in silver-white foam and more creamy (colour and texture) forms (the latter perhaps having lain longer on the grass). The white material sometimes has small black dots in it which hint at frog spawn (but of course the incidence is not confined to the spawning period), but without the "sago pudding" globules. Source(s) as yet unknown. We have a substantial river and smaller burns; barn owls (which share the steading with us), tawny owls, buzzards, sparrowhawks, hen harriers, kestrel, heron, frogs, toads, otters, badgers, foxes, deer (various), lots more fauna - and overflying aircraft en route to Glasgow and Prestwick, so that seems to cover all the bases for the evolution of a theory! Over to the experts .....

emmaghilwe found some on our farm last wekend, we have sheep on that par of the land...so maybe something to do wit them? Early miscarried placenta?

Margaret PollockMy guess is that it is a kind of algae from the Nostocaceae family. It can survive long periods of dehydration, before re-appearing in its jelly-like form. I was discussing it with a perthsire farmer two weeks ago as he has loads in his garden and on his paths and I have it on my allotment in Bucks, and neither of us can get rid of it!! Failing that - is it anything to do with the 'mucus' that slugs produce when mating? They create an amazing amount of 'goo'.

Tina RichesCome to the Fens - we've had this fungus here for years!

Pauline WhyteBecause it's seen mostly in woodland, my first thought was that it might be the minerals/salts that trees normally absorb. It does look quite saline in nature. It would be interesting to know if it happens more after a wet summer and the trees can't absorb all of the minerals that leech into the water table.

jane wilsonI used to live in oregon usa, and noticed this substance on a quiet coastal road at about this time of the year.

Derek MayesSuspect Heron regurgitation of dissolved frog/toad

Alison ShawI had a similar jelly grow out of the compost of a recently purchased potted outdoor plant. It developed as a rounded tube which flopped over the edge of the pot and eventually dripped onto the floor. I assumed it was a jelly fungus but could not find match on any web site.

Gene StoermerProbably not "rock snot". Didymosphenia spp. grow on branching stalks, which would be quite visible in microscopic examination. Also the wrong habitat.

Michael RobertsI'm a zoologist and with a friend who is a senior vet from Sweden - we found jelly underneath a fence post a couple of years ago. After searching through the grass nearby we found pieces of toad skin and that was the clue. The area is frequented by marsh harriers. This was during November. The post was being used by the bird as a 'plucking post' and the toads were being stripped of their skin (the skin is distaseful to many predators)before being eaten by the birds. I think there are different possibilities depending where the stuff is found. If it's near tree stumps or posts, look for frog or toad skin. If it's other places, then some of the other suggestions are quite valid!!

Tom SmithI believe it to be a very toxic substance , And the source of the toxic is none other than the unmarked planes that are spraying toxic material all over the world..People need to wake up before it's too late . This is not conspiracy this is real .All I ask is you to research it for yourself. Type in 'chemtrails' into you tube or google and you will find some more information . You also just need to look up to the skies and you will see those planes spewing out a white powdery substance that covers the whole sky then starts to fall to earth..

Dr Phil Smith, Biologist, Aquatonics LtdFrom the various descriptions and locations I guess we have a range of things that look similar but are different. It may be that most of the sightings are some form of mucopolysaccharide, but with differnt sources of the mucopolysaccharide. I would be happy to microscopically examine any material and post photos of the results.

STUART GRAFTONSEE IT REGULARLY AT KILMARNOCK[ BARASSIE ] GOLF CLUB. FOUND SOME LAST WEEK, THERE ARE CERTAINLY RED DEER AND HERONS ABOUT THE AREA.

Judy StewartI found two large cow pat sized blobs in our (non working) farmyard around September'08 near Doune. It was quite clear, not very cloudy, but definitely not frog spawn. It resembled jelly fish without a core. We aren't near water and deer have never before ventured so close to the house. I wish I'd taken a photo. I'm a bit squeamish so it was scooped up and thrown in the hedge......the plot thickens!

Agnes KyleSaw two seperate lots of jelly about a 100 yards apart on the top of a hill above Straiton, Ayrshire. Although the ground is damp, any burns/lochans are a bit away. It was at the side of the path in an area of newly planted forestry. Have seen this before on other walks just thought it was some chemical that had fallen off a farm vehical. Great programme.

Derek RobertsonFrog/toad spawn seems a very likely candidate, especially in spring. Depending on the stage of development, this can contain eggs, or not . In summer/autumn the regurgutated ovaries of amphibians coughed up by predators, especially herons and buzzards is likely, as other contributors have described. Usually found at locations near water . I have seen both these, but I have to tell you there is proabably something else out there. I have seen examples of it in open grassland, apparently growing on/amongst grass at the very end of the growing season in October/early November and very far from water or likely spots for predators. We regularly had it in our garden in SW Fife every year. The jelly grew quickly over 2-3 days and then rotted. Always the same time of year in damp weather. It didn't form "lumps" like the spawn/ovaries I have seen in the past. I had previously assumed it was some sort of algae/fungus. Really enjoying the programme.

Trevor OuellettePwdre Ser (a. k. a. Rot of the Stars).

Tom GreenwellWell, the jelly is very familiar to me. It resembles the "goo" in diapers, but it is also used to contain and clean up chemical spills. Anyone ever thought that an aircraft could be dumping this stuff to avoid questions or fines? At a high altitude the stuff would freeze up shortly after dumping, golf ball size droplets, more or less. Being frozen, they would survive an impact without "splattering". As they warm, they return to a gooey state. I once found this material inside of a coin operated vacuum cleaner in a car wash. This allows us to rule out deer semen (unless they are really kinky deer) :) It turned out that an exterminator had spilled some insecticide and had used the silacious gel from his spill kit to contain it. Rather than report the spill and face a fine, he vacuumed it up in the machine. Too bad though, he lost his license because there were video cameras on the property. Its really an amazing substance. A quart size jar can absorb a huge amount of liquid depending on its density. By itself its non-toxic...but, if you get it wet and there are nutrients in the liquid, it gets moldy and you gotta pitch it.

Scott ShanksFrog or Toad ovaries coughed up by a heron. Called Stardrops in some places. They herons need to regurgitate them before they swell up like the eggs do after they've been laid.

Ken ParnhamPlease see the attached photos taken on 24 Feb 2007 on Hill of Alyth,Perthshire (grid ref NO 238 502).The pond, at around 280m elevation, has a man-made drainage channel onthe south side up which frogs migrate in the spring to spawn, typicallylate Feb and through Mar. Coincident with the frogs and the associatedfrog spawn, Herons appear around the edge of the pond - though as I'musually walking a dog the Herons tend to disperse as we approach - up tofour seen at any one time.The photos show the most concentrated jellied spot - a small hummockbeside the pond. You will notice that amongst the jelly is frog-spawn.When only mildly disturbed, the Herons retreat away from the pondwithout taking serious flight. I have observed small clumps of jelly inthe surrounding area.Hypothesis: The Herons eat frog-spawn, gastric juices (acid?) extractthe premature tadpole (as protein?) and the indigestible part isregurgitated as opaque jelly (Gastric juices turning the clear 'spawn'to opaque?).Perhaps Herons in flight can regurgitate jelly which would explain awider distribution.Whilst mammals may eat frog-spawn, there would need to be plenty offoxes, deer etc to deposit so much jelly over the area. Odd foxes anddeer are seen occasionally in transit over the hill from farm-land tofarm-land.Up to four Herons 24/7 for six weeks or so seems more likely, especiallywith wading legs!I will have to pay more attention next spring!

Helen TaylorNostoc commune Hope this is useful in your search for the answer.The genus Nostoc contains Blue-green algae which are composed of colonies of Cyanobacteria arranged in strings or filaments called trichomes which are surrounded by a thin sheath. They can be found in water and on land and are able to withstand extreme environments such as the freezing Arctic or the hot pools near an active volcano. They also have the ability to lie dormant for long periods when conditions are unfavourable and come back to life when rehydrated.The Cyanobacteria can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and are able to use energy from the sun, but not using the same pigments as the photosynthesis carried out by the chloroplasts in plant cells. Their photosynthesizing pigments are free in the cytoplasm and not contained within an organelle such as a chloroplast. Geologocal studies have found that oxygen-producing cyanobacteria were present about 2.8 billion years ago and are probably responsible for the creation of the life-supporting atmosphere of the Earth. The chloroplasts in plants and similar organelles in algae, have evolved from Cyanobacteria and became enveloped in the cells at some point in their evolutionary history. Some of the pigments they contain can absorb UV-A/B which help them to survive in exposed locations. Submitted by Helen Taylor. Identified by Rosemary Smith.

Jay HurstI observed precisely the same stuff in 1984. Early summer, about twenty five to thirty feet from a local pond, one large blob a foot and a half across lying atop of undisturbed grass. I remember my fascination, and looked for a trail leading to it but without success. An aerial origin seemed likely but it had a slightly broken texture as in the photo, if it had fallen from anything more than a few feet it would have been splattered all over.The pond was a small patch of mossy woodland between new housing estates and a wartime munitions dump. Later that summer I found a decomposing fox nearby, but the jelly looked too large to have been passed by anything smaller than a cow and you can rule them out, the nearest farms were a good few miles away through housing estates, industrial facilities and the UKAEA in Risley.

Gina GrunskisThis jelly has been seen, in the past, at a redundant slate quarry, now overgrown, in Spittal,Caithness.There are ponds where frogs/toads breed and the area is rich in wildlife, but especially rabbits.

SylviaHow can stags get their semen on top of a pole?!?! The most common thing I find in a lot of posts is that it has to do with Heron being in the area so it leads me to conclude that it must be some sort of excretion from a heron....as to what it is I am unsure of...

Ian RussellI found some below the gable end of our farm near Eaglesham. Owls sometimes perch there so the jelly may have been regurgitated by them.

Dave StevensWe found some of this space snot in the middle our 10th fairway on Pitlochry Golf Course. The only difference from your photo is that there are clumps of small black spheres looking like caviar dotted around amongst it.

Henry BNostoc pruniforme

UniIve seen it, I thought a seagull threw a jellyfish into my backyard!

Bob JoeRemember that old movie "The Blob" Be carefull out there!

John in Victoria BC CanadaLooks like 555 drill polymer used in diamond drilling. Goes from crystalline form to gelatinous mass to slime dependent on addition of water. Rendered from seaweed, nontoxic and used as thickening agent for drilling fluids when drilling through fractured rock. Also used as a thickening agent for foods.

Dotty HearnIn August 1994 a gelatinous rainfall ocurred in Oakville Washington (USA) The fallout of this material took place over a three week period of time. Google it.

sheepshearer48 I saw something like this years ago in a woods in South Carolina. It was clinging to tree branches and there was a big pile on the ground. It looked like it fell from above the ground. I didnt go too close, but saw it from a jogging path that I used. It dryed up and disappeared over a few weeks.

cheryl rogersthe stuff on snails.its really slimey you have to scrape it off it could be alot of snail slime.

Fresno BobI think the pictures attached to this article are showing two different things. I have no idea what the very liquidy (is that a word?) stuff is but it seems right that it has to do with frogs as that stuff is in or near water in the photos. The other stuff that is almost dry and kinda granulated is more like the stuff 2 other posters spoke about in the diapers (nappies to y'all). They sell it for agricultural uses to retain water in dry areas and as a coagulant of water in areas that have high mosquito populations or mold problems. Often, dry insecticide is mixed with the powder before it contacts the water and becomes the ooze. For some good images of this, Google "water absorbing polymer crystals" and see if this isn't what this substance is. We use it a lot here in California as the soil is sandy in the valley and into Southern California. Also, what kinda dear do you have over there? They must be giants if you think that is semen!

melissa mardella friend and i found this on exemoor too the other day and we thought it was alien slime :) it had white veins which would suggest its living?? yes/no?? willg et her upload pics.

Thomas CovenantIt looks remarkably like the alien "seeds" in"Invasion of the Body Snatchers".(1978 version)Remember the character played by Leonard Nimoy-who was so devoid of emotion that no one noticed when he was changed? Anyone around you been acting a little strange, lately? :)

J PurdyIt's gel from a diaper (that's what we call nappies in the States). Either that or it's the same material. Is this area in a flight path? It's not that I'm necessarily suggesting airliner are flushing diapers out onto the country-side, but the toilets may contain this material. My employer has insatlled "green" dry urinals in the men's room that have a reservoir (for the you know) which contains a nappy gel/disinfectant slurry in lieu of flushing the urinal. In the evening the poor housekeeping staff have to empty the container. Oh joy! Perhaps the airlines have a similar setup for their bathrooms and have a procedure that calls for dumping the material over lesser populated areas.

Ted FlemingI ran across a gob of this stuff some years ago, in Kansas (very central USA). Right in the middle of town, at the bottom of a telephone pole on a street corner, right after a big storm. The 'piece' I found was about the size of a canteloupe or a rugby ball, so if it was heron vomit, that was a BIG heron- an anomaly worth investigating in and of itself! Also, because of where I found it, it's not at all likely that it was deer vomit/spooge/whatever, and almost equally unlikely to have been the product of an amphibian. Very strange!

The CuspWHatever that stuff is, it tastes really good on toast!

Sandy EdwardsIt was known to me when I lived in Devon as "Heron Sick". It is the regurgitated oviduct contents from frogs which have been eaten by birds. This swells up in the gut of the bird and makes it throw up!

PaulBryozoans

RussI found the same substance in the fields ast the side of the A80 in Cumbernauld, on top of fence posts which a Buzzard was using as a perch. So definatly a bird of prey connection

Trish MacDonnellI live on one of the Orkney Isles and found this gel on my woodpile which has been undisturbed for the past year. We also have no foxes or deer here so can discount those. It`s cold and slimy to touch. And burns with a hissing, popping sound (yes, I burned the wood....)

Craig DalrympleI found this stuff on the bonnet of my 4x4 in early Summer. The car sits under a tree. I've also seen the stuff underneath the tree. I've also seen it in my back garden which is not accessible for anything lick a cat or a dog. It just seems to appear overnight. I live right beside the Clyde so I'd guess it came from a bird/seagull.

Gill AvilaIt's obviously the "Primal Jelly" so often referenced by Arthur Machen and H.P. Lovecraft in their tales.

Steve Dickson It's not just Scotland. I often see huge clumps of this around the ponds of North Vancouver, BC, Canada. I always thought it was "Salamander Spawn". Obviously not.

ChristelHonestly! Fairies with the flu, obviously.

Neil MahlerI think the young lady who went to all the trouble of learning about slime mould from the internet has got it wrong, and I'm not at all convinced with the 'rock snot' theory either as no site I clicked on has photos resembling the photos shown here.The most sensible theory seems to be Stag semen, but we have already read previously that this 'gunge' has been found in gardens where deer would not be present, also in my county in the East, we have large populations of red deer, but no reports of this substance being found at all.Another point, if stag semen is anything like human semen, it will just turn watery after a few minutes of exposure, what we have here is coagulated/ jelly like.So keep the suggestions coming in people !!.

Janet ReidIt looks similar to the jelly used in disposable nappies, which I presume is a form of silicon

Barry IngramI think it comes from lack of underwear when wearing kilts!

SuzanneAlien invasion!

Martin AlexanderAnyone who has seen the "Alien" movies would be forgiven for drawing a comparison with the goo emanating from the creature. Could this slime be coming from something we are not familar with?

Andy BatemanTry some time lapse photography on these lumps of slime. You may be in for a surprise! If my memory serves me right they are called slime moulds but have nothing to do with fungi other than they seem only to be studied by mycologists. They are in fact macro ameoba and they move! Or has my mind completely failed me?

yankeeI heard about something similar to this being found here stateside years ago. It was attributed to aircraft deliberately spraying chemicals and infection agents on population centers, the "slime" is the result of non-optimal spraying, it clumps up rather than atomises as the sprayers would like it to.Supposedly, testing found all sorts of biological agents in it, to include human blood cells. Then again, it was also said to be able to etch glass. Just some stuff I heard.

Ben RIndeed this mystery jelly is nothing more exciting than the remnants of stags and various other mammals doing what they have done for millennium in Autumn - mating and producing large amounts of semen.

Gordon RobertsonI have seen this jelly on the hills for many years and I was told as Andy Malcolm said it had something to do with the stags.

Penny JacksonI've seen it in my back garden in Derby. We have a pond and I always assumed it was where a cat had eaten a pregnant frog and discarded the undeveloped spawn, like what Steve Chambers said.

Tanya StarkeyI have found the same jelly substance in my drive way. I live near the Ochils but my house is in the middle of a housing estate.

Charlie LeppardDeer phlegm

Dougie GoldIt looks like the gell from inside a nappy. Our dog stole a full nappy shredded it in the garden and eat the contents. Next day all that was left was the gell from inside that had absorbed the overnight rain, it looked exactly like the gell in the pictures.

Judie HollidayHow interesting. We just had this conversation with our daughters after finding multiple patches of this jelly on the side of Saddle Hill near Culloden in the Highlands. I'd love to know what it is.

Gareth JonesI think it's the start of the entire world turning into 'grey goo' because of nanotechnology!

C RObbI think its the gel crytals used in gardening , somehow ending up in guts of various animals.There is evidence here alone that birds eating it are the likely culprit , which they then excrete.This might not be the case in all the pics , but only in some.

Bill BaxterThis substance has been appearing regularly in the far North (Caithness and Sutherland) for many years. Mainly noticed in the summer by my friends and myself when fishing or walking, it has always baffled us. We are all the outdoor type and familiar with almost anything connected with natural occurences. We would love to have an answer to the mystery.

Karl TeviotdaleI have found this substance before myself. Often close to ice cream....I believe it to be ectoplasmic slime which is the residue left by ghosts.

Christine ForsythI think the haggis theory is the best that I have come across - it has certainly cheered me up after being ill all week!

Brian ClarkI found a whole load of this slime on grass near my home in Erskine Renfrewshire. I thought someone had emptied a bucket of wallpaper paste. Strange!

Mary ClarksonThis jelly looks like slime mold. see wikipedia: Most slime mold are smaller than a few centimetres, but the very largest reach areas of up to thirty square metres, making them the largest undivided cells known. Many have striking colours such as yellow, brown and white. Slime Mold is a broad term that refers to fungi-like amoeboid (i.e. like an amoeba) organisms. Their common name refers to part of their life cycle in which their appearance can be gelatinous (hence the name slime). However, this fact mostly refers to the myxomycetes, which are the only macroscopic slime molds. They have been found all over the world feeding on microorganisms that live in any type of dead plant material. For this reason, it is very common to find these organisms growing in the soil, on lawns, and in the forest commonly on deciduous logs (hence the name molds). However, in tropical areas of the world, they also seem to be very common on inflorescences, fruits and in aerial situations (i.e. in the canopy of trees). They are also common on mulch or even in the leaf mold in gutters.

Roddy and Sheila I was intrigued to catch the tail end of Sat. mornings programme , and that your quest to identify the ' slime' goes on !Many years ago I found a similar substance and was initially stumped as to what it might be . Our property backs onto a hillside with mixed moorland and forestry . We have resident buzzards , hawks , crows etc. We found this frogspawn like material , but usually on top of fence posts ? I know about Slime Fungi and discounted that .None of our natural history friends could explain it.Much later , and I cant remember where we read or heard about it , we found that it 'might be' that birds eating frogs or toads , regurgitate the lining of the stomach of these creatures , as it is toxic to them . This seemed a possibility as it is so 'frog like' !!It appears to be an Autumn phenomina , and coincidently , have heard two local friends describing this recently .The fact that we find it on top of posts or rocky outcrops confirms the possibility of birds taking it to an eating place .We have accepted this explanation since ! We certainly have lots of frogs/toads nearby , and an early spring sight is Herons flying in to feast on these. Will listen in with interest.

Elizabeth HallSorry to jump in and ruin your moment of imaginative discussions but this jelly substance has appeared in our back garden. We live in the West midlands, on a housing estate our Garden is fenced off, so no Stags or Lynx good get in! and we don't have a pond, I have seen no herons. Could anyone explain what this is?

Susanna RobsonThere has been quite a lot of the jelly on our croft in the north west of Skye, including on top of a fence post, so that would be some stag! I had assumed it was something the crows or other birds were spewing out.

Diana CarmodyI too saw these in Aberfoyle just last week. Curious I followed this article and searched the web for others, there were many. The best explanation I came across was this from October 2007 and surely posted by a very knowledgeable Scots person: "The organism is the pupa of a haggis. Your correspondent is very fortunate: haggis normally pupate only under cover of dense heather or bracken, and pupation usually happens at the onset of the Scottish winter in early September. In due course the outer skin becomes opaque, and the inner tissues become firm and granular as water is lost. It is at this point that pupating haggis are collected for human consumption. Those that elude would-be gourmets remain in a dormant state until spring, emerging as fully developed adults or "imagos", ready to seek a mate and ensure the continued supply of this delicacy". Good one.

Garry FindlayI have also found this cloudy jelly material in a newly cut silage field and on a fire road near Strathaven. Some of it had small black looking 'eggs' on the ground in amongst it. This was about 6 weeks ago. It wouldn't be frog or toad spawn at this time of year? I have seen Heron and Deer at both these spots recently.

judy broderickFound this in Glen Tilt two weeks ago; certainly there were hinds around. Can you repeat the info. about it travelling and climbing trees please!

Elizabeth RobertsI found a mass of the white jelly (it looked exactly like the photograph featured on this page) the day before yesterday. It was mainly on the wooden decking, but part was on/dripping off the top of the big black plastic pot standing in the corner of the deck. the deck is a good 3 metres above ground, reached by steps but at the time it must have been deposited the step access to the deck was barred by a wooden gate designed to confine my daughter's pet Cairn dog or my grandchildren to the deck area directly outside the living room. From the placing of this white jelly I think it is highly unlikely to be stag sperm or otter anus blocker (Tom's suggestion)- it seemed to me only possible to have been dropped from the air. My property is a commercial forestry plantation aret 300m in the southern uplands near the Daer Reservoir, and there are drains (water channels) and burns but not all that near to the house. We do have otters, badgers and deer but the gamekeeper who called yesterday and saw the jelly (and recognised it as something he has seen frequently in his territory at this time of year) thought it was 'fox vomit' - again highly unlikely given the position of the jelly so near the house and right behind a flower pot in the corner of a deck constricted by the railing.

Drew DougansDuring autumn, I have occasionally seen tennis ball sized lumps of this jelly beneath trees on damp grass along quiet single track roads near Strathaven. The most recent lump I noticed was about two weeks ago and it lay on the same spot, undisturbed, for several days. There are certainly badgers, foxes and deer in the area and, indeed, I have heard it referred to as "Deer Spit"

Morna OrmistonI saw the same jelly the other day near a pond on the Braid Hills. I have seen it there in previous years and assumed it was something to do with frog or newt spawn although this seems a strange time of year for spawning?? Surely some nature loving dude out there can give us the definitive answer.

Lewis Napier from HamiltonI fund this stuff twice last week on 2 seperate golf courses in lanarkshire, and south lanarkshire. Idid ask if anyone new what it was but they had no idea.

Bill ScottThis substance has been the the subject of discussion between my Sunday morning fourball at Ranfurly castle Golf Club for the past year or two as we have come across it in varying quantities all over the course. Most recently we came across some last week. We do not recall seeing any frogs or toads in the area but do have some deer and there is a Heron which is seen infrequently.There have also been sightings of a large black Lynx like cat in the area in recent years.

Douglas RobertsonI found some 'jelly-like' substance on the hillside in Glenshee today(25.10.06.)I took some home and if you know anyone who may want to analyse this substance

andy malcolmI dont want to upset all these people who have been poking around with your "mystery jelly", but it's stags semen! As a professional stalker (I was on your programme a week ago) I come across it all over the place at this time of year.

Andy WilsonIt could be vital to check if this jelly is the same as "Didymosphenia geminata, commonly known as didymo or rock snot" - see Google. Rock snot is a huge problem in New Zealand where it has got on riverbeds and devours all food. We visited South Island in 2007 and there was great concern - they believed it was spread on canoes, fishing equipment, etc. At that time, there was no known treatment to kill it. Imagine if it got into Scottish streams - although it may well be in already?Your programme could push for a proper investigation and follow-up eradication. Rock snot is not just a quirky phenomenom with a crude name - it is a disaster.I saw a golfball-size white specimen on Ben Hope on 19 Oct 08 but didn't know what it was.Thanks for the great programmes.

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